Khuddaka Nikaya - Buddhavamsa - Sariputta & Moggallana Mahatheras

(2-3) THE TWO CHIEF DISCIPLES
SARIPUTTA AND MOGGALLANA MAHATHERAS

The Great Chronicle of The Buddhas
by Mingun Sayadaw

Edited and Translated by
U Ko Lay and U Tin Lwin
Yangon, Myanmar

In this dispensation the Venerable Mahatheras Sariputta and Moggallana are known as the two Chief Disciples of the Buddha. These two Mahatheras had mostly worked together for their Perfection during the period of their performance of meritorious deeds for that goal. In their last existence too they gave up the world together and became monks together. Hence their accounts are given together in the Atthakathas and Tikas. Following those treatises here in this book too their accounts will be given together.

(a) Aspirations expressed in the past

Counting back from this kappa, one asankhyeyya and a hundred thousands aeons ago the future Sariputta, a virtuous person, was born in a wealthy Brahmin family and named Sarada the youth. The future Moggallana, another virtuous man was also born in a another family and named Sirivaddhana the householder. They became intimate friends, having played together with soil grains in their childhood.

One day while Sarada the youth was examining and managing the wealth of his household (that came down from his forebears) as his father had died, there came a thought to him thus: "I know only about this existence. I do not know about hereafter. It is absolutely certain that beings born are subject to death. It will be proper therefore if I shall become a kind of recluse and seek the doctrine for liberation from samsara."

Sarada the youth went to his friend Sirivaddhana the householder and asked: "Friend Sirivaddhana, I shall become a recluse and seek the doctrine for liberation from samsara Will you be able to become one together with me?" "No, friend, I am not," answered Sirivaddhana. "You, friend, go ahead." Then it occurred to Sarada: "Among those who pass into hereafter there is none who is able to take his friends and relatives with him. It is indeed true that only his good or bad deeds are his own property [as they follow him]."

Thereupon, he opened his treasure houses and performed a great dana to destitutes, poor people, travellers and beggars. He made his way to the foot of a mountain and became an ascetic. Those who became matted-hair ascetics in the wake of Sarada numbered seventy-four thousand. The ascetic Sarada himself acquired the fivefold mundane Psychic power and the eightfold Jhana attainment. He also taught his followers how to make preparations for kasina meditation and practise that meditation and they too gained the same power and attainment.

At that time appeared the Buddha Anomadassi in the world. (The city and other particulars have been given in the Chronicle Vol. 1 Pt 2.) One day when Anomadassi Buddha surveyed the world of sentient beings after emerging from his Jhana of Karuna-samapatti at daybreak, he saw the ascetic Sarada and decided thinking thus: "When I visit Sarada a grand Dhamma-talk will take place. The ascetic will express his aspiration for Chief Discipleship flanking on the right-hand side of some Buddha in future. His friend Sirivaddhana will do similarly for the other Discipleship flanking on the left. At the end of the talk, Sarada's seventy-four thousand followers, those ascetics who accompanied Sarada, will attain Arahatship. I should therefore pay a visit to Sarada's place at the mountain-foot." So he took bowl and robe and set forth alone without informing any body else, like a lion-king. While Sarada's pupils were away gathering fruit Anomadassi Buddha made a resolution that Sarada should come to know him as an Omniscient Buddha, and while Sarada was looking on him the Buddha descended from the sky and stood on the pound.

As he had seen the magnificence and the physical splendour of Anomadassi Buddha, Sarada studied them in accordance with physiognomical treatises and unwaveringly believed "One who is possessed of these marks would become a Universal Monarch if he were to live a household life, but if he were to put on the yellow robe, he would become an Omniscient Buddha." He therefore welcomed the Buddha paid homage with five kinds of touching and gave the prepared seat to him. The Buddha sat down in that seat and the hermit also took an appropriate seat for himself

At that time the seventy-four thousand pupil hermits went to their master carrying with them fruit of various sizes with immensely rich flavour and nutrition. Seeing the seating arrangement of the Buddha and that of their teacher, they remarked to him:"Master, we wonder, believing that here is no person higher than you in the world. But now it seems that this noble man is far superior to you." The master reprovingly replied: "How dare you say so, pupils! you wish to compare a mustard seed with the great Mount Meru one hundred and sixty-eight thousand yojanas high. Do not weigh me against the Buddha." Then the pupils said among themselves: "If this were an unworthy one, our master would not have given such a simile. Indeed he must be supreme?" So, saying they all prostrated at the feet of the Buddha and venerated him with their heads.

Thereafter the hermit told his pupils: "Dear sons, we have no gift that is proper to the Buddha. It was during his hour for collecting almsfood that he came to our residence at the foot of the mountain. Let us give alms to the best of our ability. Bring, pupils, big and small fruits that appear nice and wholesome." Thus he had the fruit brought and, having washed his hands he himself offered the fruit by putting them in the bowl. No sooner had the Buddha accepted the fruit the Devas put ambrosia in the bowl. Sarada offered water that had been duly filtered by himself. Having eaten the fruit, the Buddha washed his hand and sat calm and quiet. While the Buddha was sitting thus, Sarada summoned all his pupils and remained speaking to the Buddha words that ought to be remembered for long. Then the Buddha resolved that his two Chief Disciples should visit him in the company of monks at the mountain-foot. The two Chief Disciples (Mahatheras Nisabha and Anoma), knowing the Buddha's desire, immediately came accompanied by a hundred thousand Arahats and, after paying homage to the Buddha, stood at suitable places.

Thereupon the hermit Sarada called his hermit-pupils and ordered "Dear sons, the seat made for the Buddha is still low. The hundred thousand monks are also without seats. You dear sons should do today highly appreciable honour to the Buddha. Bring beautiful and fragrant flowers from the foot of the mountain." The time spent for giving the order seemed even longer. The power of the mighty ones is wonderful. beyond imagination. Instantly, therefore the hermit-pupils miraculously brought flowers of beauty and fragrance and of them made for the Buddha the seat measuring a yojana. The floral seat made for the two Chief Disciples measured three gavutas each and that for the rest of monks measured half a yajana or two gavutas. Even for the youngest monk the seat was each one usabha in measurement.

After making the seats in this manner, Sarada stood before the Buddha and even while standing he addressed the Buddha with his joined hands raised: "Exalted Buddha, please take this seat of flowers for my long welfare and happiness." Anomadassi Buddha surmounted on the seat and sat down and remained there, engaging in Nirodha samapatti for seven days. Knowing what the Buddha was doing, the two Chief Disciples and the rest of monks, while remaining in their respective seats, in the wake of the Master engaged themselves in Jhanas.

Sarada hermit stood, holding a floral umbrella over the Buddha While the Buddha was being absorbed in the Nirodhasamapatti, the hermit pupils sought various roots and fruit during the food gathering hour and ate them; for the rest of the time they stood, raising their joined hands in the direction of the Buddha Sarada, however, did not move even for searching for fruit but held the umbrella over the Buddha and spent the time by means of the food of rapture.

Emerging from the Nirodha-samapatti, the Buddha asked the chief Disciple, Nisabha Thera who was sitting near him on his right side 'Preach, dear son, a sermon in appreciation of the flowers to the honouring hermits." With his mind immensely gladdened as a heroic warrior who had received a great reward from the Universal Monarch, Nisabha Thera preached by virtue of his perfect intelligence as Disciple. At the end of Nisabha Thera's preaching, the Buddha asked the other Chief Disciple Anoma Thera who was flanking on the left side; "You too preach a sermon, dear son," Reflecting on the Buddha's words contained in the Three Pitakas, the Venerable Anoma gave sermon.

The realization of the Truths and the attainment of release did no affect yet a single one of the hermits despite the preaching of the two Chief Disciples. Thereafter Anomadassi Buddha, having remained in his incomparable state of a Buddha, preached. At the end of the preaching all seventy-four matted-hair hermits attained Arahatta-phala. Sarada alone remained unaffected. Then the Buddha stretching his right arm and pronounced: "Come, monks!" At that very moment the hair and beard of all those ascetics disappeared and they became monks already equipped with the eight items of requisites.

Sarada's aspiration for chief Discipleship

It may be asked, "Why did he fail to attain Arahatship though he was a great teacher?" The answer is, "Because he was then distracted." Expanded answer: Since the time when Nisabha the Chief Disciple, the Right Flanker, started preaching, Sarada had been repeatedly distracted by the thought: It would be well if I should gain the same position as this Chief Disciple's in the dispensation of the Buddha to come. Because of this distraction Sarada failed to penetrate and gain the knowledge of the Path and Fruition.(He was left behind with no acquisition of the Magga and Phala.)

After his pupils had become ehi-bhikkhus, Sarada hermit paid homage to the Buddha and asked while standing before him: "What is the name of the monk who is sitting just next to you?" When the Buddha said, "His name is Nisabha, my Right Chief Disciple who in my dispensation can turn the Wheel-Treasure of the Dhamma after me, who had reached the apex of the perfect wisdom of a Disciple and who had penetrated the fifteen forms of Panna" Sarada hermit said: "As a result of my act of merit by honouring you with a floral umbrella held over you for seven days, I do not long for the state of a Sakka or that of a Brahma. In fact, I wish to become a real Chief Disciple, the Right Flanker, like this noble Mahathera Nisabha during the dispensation of some Buddha in the future."

When the Buddha Anomadassi tried to foresee through his Anagatamsa Nana whether Sarada's wish would be fulfilled, he foresaw that it would be fulfilled after one asankhyeyya and a hundred thousand kappas. So he said to the hermit: "Your wish would not go unfulfilled. In fact, when an asankhyeyya and a hundred thousand kappashave elapsed the Buddha Gotama will appear in the three worlds. His mother will be Queen Mahamaya, his father Suddhodana, his son Rahula and his left-flanking Chief Disciple Moggallana. But you will become Gotama Buddha's Right-flanking Chief Disciple by the name of Sariputta. Having prophesied thus, he gave a Dhamma-talk and rose into the air in the company of monks.

Sarada hermit then approached the Theras who had been his old pupils and said: 'Venerable Sirs, please tell my friend Sirivaddhana the householder thus: Your friend Sarada hermit has said at the foot of the Buddha Anomadassi for the rank of the Right-flanking Disciple. For that of the Left-flanking Disciple of Gotama, a coming Buddha, you householder may resolve." After giving the message thus, Sarada went hurriedly ahead of them by another road and stood at the door of the house of Sirivaddhana.

Thinking "Oh, my master has come after a long time. He has long been absent? Sirivaddhana gave a seat to Sarada and the hermit sat down in a lower seat and asked: "Venerable Sir, but your retinue of residential pupils do not show up." "Well, they do not, friend. Anomadassi Buddha visited our hermits; we honoured the Sangha headed by the Buddha to the best of our ability. The Buddha preached to us all. At the end of the preaching all except myself the seventy-four thousand hermits attained Arahatship and became monks." "Why did not you become likewise?" asked Sirivaddhana. "Having seen Nisabha Thera, the Buddha's Right-flanking Chief Disciple," replied Sarada, 'I said for a similar position during the dispensation of the coming Buddha Gotama. You too resolve for the (second) Chief Discipleship occupying the Buddha's left hand seat." When the hermit urged him thus his friend replied: "I have no experience of talking with the Buddha." Then Sarada said encouraging him: "Let the talking with the Buddha be my responsibility. On your part make an arrangement for your great act of merit (adhikara)."

Having listened to Sarada's advice,Sirivaddhana levelled the ground measuring eight pai in front of the doorway of his house and covered it with white sand, scattered over it confetti of flowers of five kinds with parched rice as the fifth. He also built a shed roofed with blue lotus flowers, prepared the seat for the Buddha and arranged things dedicated in honour of the Buddha. Then only did he give a signal to Sarada to bring the Sangha headed by the Buddha. Taking his cue from Sirivaddhana, Sarada brought the Sangha with the Buddha at its head to Sirivaddhana's house.

Sirivaddhana welcomed the Buddha and took the bowl and robe from the Buddha's hand and respectfully brought the Buddha into the shed and offered dedication water to the Buddha and his monks, fed them with excellent food. When the feeding was over he gave highly valued robes to the Buddha and his Sangha. Thereafter he said: "Exalted Buddha, this act of merit performed by me is not intended for a small reward. Therefore kindly do me a favour in this way for seven days." The Buddha kept silent in agreement. Sirivaddhana then performed a great alms-giving (Mahadana) in the same manner for a week. While standing with his joined hands raised respectfully in the direction of the Buddha, he said thus: "Exalted Buddha, my friend Sarada has begged the position of a Chief Disciple and the Right flanker to the Buddha Gotama. I too aspire for the post of the Left-flanker Chief Disciple to that very Buddha Gotama.

When the Buddha surveyed the future, he saw that the aspiration of Sirivaddhana would be fulfilled. So he prophesied: "An asankhyeyya and a hundred thousand aeons from now you will become a second Chief Disciple, the Left-flanker." Hearing the Buddha's prophecy, Sirivaddhana was overjoyed. After giving a talk in appreciation of the Dana, the Buddha returned to the monastery in the company of monks. From then onwards till his death Sirivaddhana made efforts to perform acts of merit and on passing away from that existence he was reborn in the Kamavacara Deva world. Sarada the hermit developed the four sublime practices (Brahma-vihara) and landed in the Brahma realm.

(b)Ascetic life adopted in final existence

The Commentary says nothing elaborate about their good works done during the existences after their lives as the hermit Sarada and the householder Sirivaddhana, but it gives an account of their lives in the last existence.

Just before the appearance of our Buddha Gotama a virtuous man, the future Sariputta Thera who had formerly been hermit Sarada was conceived in the womb of a Brahmin woman, a merchant's wife, Rupasari by name, in the village of Upatissa near the city of Rajagaha. On that very day another virtuous man, formerly Sarada's friend Sirivaddhana and the future Moggallana, took conception in the womb of Moggali (wife of another merchant) in the village of Kolita also near Rajagaha. Those two great families had been very friendly households since seven generations ago.

For the two conceived boys, the future Chief Disciples, protection was provided on the same day. Also when they were born after ten months had elapsed, each boy was looked after by sixty-six nurses. On the naming day the son born of Rupasari was named Upatissa because he was the scion of the head of Upatissa village. The son born of Moggali was named Kolita as his family was chief in Kolita village. When the two boys grew up they became accomplished in all kinds of crafts.

The ceremonial paraphernalia of the youth Upatissa included five hundred golden palanquins to accompany him constantly when he paid a visit to the river, to the garden or to the hill for sport and pleasure. As for the youth Kolita, it was five hundred chariots drawn by the best breed of horses that usually went along with him. In Rajagaha there was an annual festival held on the hill-top. For the two friends the couches were fixed and prepared at the same place. Both took their seats together, and while watching the show they laughed when humour was effected and shocked when horror was; they also gave awards when they were supposed to do.

After enjoying the show in this manner many times, one day they became more sober at the show: no longer were they amused by funny scenes, no longer were they frightened by horrible ones. And there were absolutely no more awards given where they were expected. Both of them thought thus: "Where are those things attractive to the eyes on this festive occasion? Those who participate in the show and those who come to see it will all disappear before the end of a hundred years. We should therefore search for some form of spirituality for our escape from samsara." . They remained reflecting on the miseries of life.

Thereafter Kolita said to his friend Upatissa "Friend Upatissa, you show no satisfaction as on the other days. What are you thinking about, friend?" Upatissa replied "Friend Kolita, I found nothing worthy in watching the show. Enjoyment of the festivity is useless; it is empty. I am therefore sitting with the thought that I ought to seek something for myself that would lead to liberation from samsara." Having said this he asked: "Friend Kolita, why are you also wearing a long face and looking displeased?" Kolita's answer was the same as Upatissa's. Knowing that his friend was contemplating the same thing, Upatissa consulted, saying: "Our common idea, dear Kolita, is something well conceived. Those who seek release from samsara should adopt an ascetic life. Under whom shall we become ascetics?"

At that time the great wandering ascetic Sanjaya, the leader of a religious sect, was staying in Rajagaha with a large gathering of pupils. The two friends agreed to become ascetics in the presence of Sanjaya each with five hundred attendants. Since the time of the two friends' association with him Sanjaya had attained the height of his gain and the height of his possession of retinue and fame.

Within two or three days the two wanderers, Upatissa and Kolita, became well-educated in all the doctrines of the teacher Sanjaya and they asked: "Teacher, is that all that you have mastered? Or, is there still some more that we have to learn?" "That is all I have mastered," replied Sanjaya, "you have learned all the doctrines of mine" The two friends then discussed between them:

"In that case, it is useless to remain observing celibacy (Brahma-cariya) under this teacher Sanjaya. We have come out from the life of householders in quest of release from samsara. Never shall we be able to achieve that release in his presence. Vast is the Jambudipa. If we wonder about villages, towns and royal cities and search, certainly we shall find some teacher who will give us the means leading to liberation."

From that time onwards they visited the places which they learned were the resort of learned monks and Brahmins and had doctrinal dialogues and discussions. There were, however, no monks and Brahmins who were really learned and able to answer the questions raised by the two wandering friends. In fact, it was the two friends who had to solve the problems put forth by the so-called learned sages, having failed to find someone whom they should regard as their teacher though they had roamed about all over the Jambudipa, making inquiries, they returned to their ascetic dwellings and made an agreement between them that whoever received the doctrine concerning immortality earlier should inform the other.

(c) Attainment of unique spirituality

The time was the first waxing moon of Magha about half a month after the arrival of the Buddha in the city of Rajagaha. (Readers are refereed to the pages from 1 to 19 of the Third Volume of the Chronicle for details. The pages contain such episodes as (b) Conversion of the two friends and their pupils from the state of wandering ascetics to that of ehi-bhikkhu monks in the presence of the Buddha and (c) their attainment of the height of wisdom as Disciples. These episodes will therefore be omitted here.)

(d) Etadagga title achieved

In the year he became enlightened, the Buddha passed his vassa in the Deer Park; thence he went to the Uruvela forest and converted a thousand hermits headed by the three Kassapa brothers and established them in Arahatship by means of the Aditta-pariyaya Sutta; on the full- moon day of Phussa he arrived at Rajagaha in the company of a thousand monks. After a fortnight, on the first waxing moon of Magha, Upatissa met with the Arahat Assaji, a member of the Band of Five, in Rajagaha. Having listened to the verse beginning with "Ye dhamma hetuppabhava " from the Venerable Assaji, Upatissa became a Sotapanna Ariya. So did Kolita having heard the verse through Upatissa. Thereafter both the two noble Sotapanna friends and their followers became ehi-bhikkhus. Before they became such monks, the followers attained Arahatship the moment they heard the discourse from the Buddha. As the wisdom of Discipleship was too great to achieve, the future Chief Disciples were still away from that state, and it as on the seventh day of his bhikkhuhood that Maha Moggallana became Arahat and it was on the fifteenth day, that is on the full-moon day of Magha that Sariputta did. (Vide the Third Volume of the Chronicle from the beginning to p 17.)

In this manner the two Mahatheras reached the apex of their perfections and wisdom in Chief Discipleship while the Buddha was staying in Rajagaha. But at a later time while he was at the Jetavana monastery, Savatthi, he uttered in praise of them:

"Etadaggam bhikkhave mama savakanam bhikkhunam mahapannam yadidam Sariputto." "Monks, among my disciples who are of great wisdom, Sariputta is the foremost." "Etadaggam bhikkhave mama savakanam bhikkhunam iddhimantanam yadidam Maha Moggalano, "Monks, among my disciples who are of great supernatural powers, Maha Moggallana is the foremost."

With these words the Buddha placed the Venerable Sariputta in the top position in the matter of great wisdom and the Venerable Moggallana in the top position in the field of great supernatural powers.

These two Mahatheras had practised for the welfare of sentient beings for forty-four years since they became bhikkhus. The discourses given by them are quite numerous in the five Nikayas or the three Pitakas. They are so numerous that it is almost impossible to reproduce them here. Especially, the Patisambhidamagga Pali, the Mahaniddea Pali, and the CuIaniddesa Pali embody the words of Sariputta Mahathera. His Thera-gatha forms a potpourri of his doctrines. So does Moggallana's gatha his doctrinal miscellany. Those who desire them may read the translations of the texts concerned. Here in this work, however, the account of their attainment of Parinibbana after making efforts for the welfare of sentient beings for forty-four years will be given.

Sariputta Mahathera attainment or Parinibbana

Having observed his last and forty-fifth vassa at the small village of Veluva near the city of Vesali the Buddha emerged from that vassa and (as has been stated above) he left the village by the road he had taken in reaching there. After setting forth for the last time, the Buddha arrived in Savatthi and entered the Jetavana monastery. The Captain of the Dhamma, Sariputta Mahathera, served the Buddha and went to his day-resort. When his pupils fulfilled their duties to him there at his day-resort and departed, he swept the place and spread the leather mat; then he washed his feet, sat down crossed-legged and engaged in Arahatta phala.

When the prescribed time for meditation was over, the Mahathera rose from it and wondered whether a Buddha attained Parinibbana first or his Chief Disciples. He came to know that the Disciples usually did earlier and when he examined his life process, he found out that it would go on only for seven more days; he further considered where his attainment of Parinibbana should take place.

"Rahula Thera attained Parinibbana in Tavatimsa and Kondana Mahathera at the lake in Chaddanta," Where should I do so?" he pondered repeatedly and remembered his mother, the Brahmin lady Rupasari as follows:

"Oh, my mother has no faith in the Triple Gem, namely, the Buddha, the Dhamma and the Sangha, despite her being the mother of seven Arahats. Has that mother of mine possessed spiritual potentials for any of the Paths and Fruitions?"

When he reflected thus, he came to know that she had from her past acts of merit the potentials that would lead to Sotapatti magga. He continued to reflect on as to by whose preaching would she realize the four Truths, and it manifested to him thus:

"My mother's realization of the four Truths and conversion will happen by my own preaching, not by any other's. If I were to be indifferent without caring to convert her, people may come out with words of reproach, saying: 'Sariputta Mahathera is a dependable person to others. This is true. The day the Venerable One preached the Samacitta Sutta (Angutara Nikaya I) a hundred thousand crores of Devas and Brahmas atttained Arahatta-phala. Those who attained lower Fruitions are countless. Those who gained liberation by realizing the four Truths elsewhere have also been witnessed. Besides, the celestial families who have faith in the Mahathera are eighty thousand in number. That very Sariputta Mahathera is now helpless just to remove the wrong views of his own mother. Therefore after eradicating my mother's false notions, I shall attain Parinibbana in the very chamber in which I was born,"

Having decided thus he got an idea that he should inform the Buddha and seek his permission and set out even on that day. So he ordered his young brother Cunda: "Dear Cunda, inform my five hundred monk-pupils to make themselves ready with their bowls and robes. The Captain of Dhamma, Sariputta Thera, is desirous of going to Nalaka, his native village ". Cunda Thera did so as he was told by his older brother Mahathera.

The five hundred monks packed their beddings, took their bowls and robes and gathered round their master in unison. The Mahathera himself packed his own bedding, swept his day-resort; he stood at the doorway of his resort and viewed the place, thinking: "This is my last viewing. There will no longer be my coming again." In the company of his five hundred pupils, he went to the Buddha, paid homage to him and said in supplication "Exalted Buddha! May the Glorious One give me permission to leave. May the speaker of good words grant me permission. The time has come for me to attain Parinibbana. My life-process has been given up."

(Herein, the word anujanatu of the sentence " anujanatu me bhante bhagava.." of the text is translated "give me permission" and such is the required meaning. Its literal meaning, however, is "May you know of my proposed entry into Parinibbana, that is to say, "I am aware of my coming attainment of Parinibbana. May you also be aware of the same.")

When other disciples, who were also Arahats, came and sought permission for their demise, and if the Buddha said: "Do so!", those with wrong views would blame him: "The Buddha speaks in praise of death!" If on the other hand he said: "No, dear son, do not do that yet!," they would blame him all the same, saying: "He speaks in praise of suffering!" Hence there was neither way of replying on the part of the Buddha. That was why the Buddha asked the Thera Sariputta: "Dear Sariputta, where will you attain Parnibbana?" The Mahathera answered: "There is, Exalted Buddha, my birth-place in Nalaka village in the country of Magadha. There will I do so." "Now you are aware, dear son, of the time of your Parinibbana. It may be very difficult for your brethren particularly to see a man of your stature no longer. You had better give them sermons."

Seeing that the Buddha wanted him to engage in preaching, preceded by his performance of miracles, the noble Mahathera paid homage to the Buddha, rose up into the air to the height of a toddy palm tree, came down and paid homage at the Buddha's feet. Again he rose into the air to the height of two toddy palm trees, came down and paid homage at the feet of the Buddha once more. In this way he rose up to the height of three, four, five, six and seven toddy palm trees and displayed hundreds of miraculous feats. While so doing, he preached. How did he preach?

He preached while showing his person; he preached while hiding his person: he preached while showing and hiding the upper part of his person; he preached while showing and hiding the lower part of his person; sometimes he created and showed the shape of the moon, sometimes created and showed that of the sun, sometimes he did the shape of a great mountain, sometimes he did that of a great ocean; sometimes he became a Universal Monarch, sometimes Vessavana Deva-King, sometimes Sakka, King of gods, sometimes Maha Brahma. In this way the Mahathera preached while performing hundreds of miracles. The entire city of Savatthi assembled. Having preached in this way to his heart's content, he came down and paid homage at the Buddha's feet and stood firmly like a golden gate-post.

Then the Buddha asked: "Dear son, Sariputta, what is your kind of preaching called?" The Mahathera replied: "Exalted Buddha, it is called sihavikilita, something like the sport of a lion." The Buddha delightedly approved of the Mahathera's reply by saying: "Dear son [ 43 ] Sariputta; yours is indeed sihavikilita preaching! Your is indeed sihavikilita preaching."

Mahathera's last homage paid to the Buddha.

Firmly holding the turtle-like feet of the Buddha by the ankles with his hands in dark red like the colour of the liquified lac, the noble Thera Sariputta said in supplication:

"Exalted Buddha, I have fulfilled the Paramis for an asankhyeyya and a hundred thousand aeons just to pay homage these two feet of yours. The result of the fulfilment of my heart's desire has now succefully reached its apex. There is no prospect of reunion with you somewhere in some existence through rebirth from now on. Familiarity or friendliness connected with this life has been totally cut off. Now shall I enter the city of Nibbana, which is free from old age, death and dangers, which is blissful, calm, secure, which hundreds of thousands of Buddhas have entered. Should there be any wrongdoings, physical and verbal, done by me to your displeasure, kindly forgive me. To me the final moment has come now, Exalted Buddha."

"My son Sariputta, I forgive you. There is nothing whatever wrong physically or verbally on your part. You may now go, my dear son, whatever you wish to." Thus gave the Buddha his permission.

Immediately after the Buddha had given permission, the Venerable Sariputta pressed and gripped the Buddha's feet most vigorously. When he rose up the great earth quaked instantly down to the water below very strongly as though it were saying, "Though I am able to shoulder Mount Meru, the universe, the Himavanta and the seven surrounding mountains, I cannot today bear this aggregate of virtues." A loud crash of thunder occurred roaring tumultously, across the entire sky. Huge clouds arose in a second and let pokkharavassa rain fell heavily.

The Buddha thought: "Sariputta has paid homage to my frame as I am sitting. Now I shall let him do so as I am standing".

So he rose from the Dhamma-throne, Buddha-seat, from which he usually gave sermons, and walked towards the Fragrant Chamber and stood on the wooden board studded with gems. The Buddha who was thus standing, the Mahathera Sariputta circumambulated, keeping the Buddha on his right and made obeisance from the front, from the back, from the left and from the right of Buddha Then he made his last supplication:

"Exalted Buddha, I expressed my wish prostrating at the feet of the Buddha Anomadassian asankhyeyya and a hundred thousand aeons ago just for seeing you My wish has now been fulfilled I have had a chance to view you. When I expressed my wish, I listened continuously to the prophetic word of AnomadasiBuddha, and I visualized you through my knowledge and that was my first sight of you. My seeing you now is my last." There is no more chance for me to see you again."

Thereafter he raised his joined hands, which were graceful and bright with the ten nails, towards the Buddha and walked backward till the visibility of the Buddha ended Having paid respect thus he departed together with his five hundred pupils. Then again the earth failed to bear the Mahathera's excellence and quaked down to the water below.

The Buddha asked the monks surrounding him: "Dear sons, go and see your elder brother off!" All four classes of the assembly then left the Buddha alone at the Jetavana monastery and went out without any one remaining there, to give the Mahathera Sariputta a send-off. The citizens of Savatthi too learnt that the Mahathera was getting out of Jetavana as he desired to attain Parinibbana after seeking permission from the Buddha; wanting to get a glimpse of the noble Mahathera, they came out from the city gate that was wholly crowded with no room for exit or entry. Carrying perfumes and flowers and with their hair dishevelled, they wailed: "Venerable Sir, to which Thera should we go now, enquiring 'Where is Sariputta Thera of great wisdom? Where is Sariputta Thera, the Captain of the Dhamma?' Into whose hands do you entrust the Exalted Buddha and leave, noble Mahathera?" Wailing in this way, they followed the Mahathera step by step.

As the Mahathera Sariputta was of great wisdom, he exhorted the crowd briefly: "This path leading to death of every arising being is something which nobody is able to overcome." He also asked the monks "You too stay behind, monks, and do not neglect the Exalted One." Thus he sent them back and headed for Nalaka village together with his own followers. To those people who went along with him lamenting, "Formerly the Noble One used to travel only to come back. But his journey now is of no return?" The Mahathera gave an exhortatory discourse, saying "Dear donors, virtuous ones! Be persons of mindfulness. Conditioned things, whether physical or mental, happen like this. After arising do they end in passing away!" By this advice concerning mindfulness, the Mahathera made them all go home.

Thereafter uplifting the people on the way for seven days, spending just one night at each place, but without prolonging his stay, he travelled on and on till he reached Nalaka in one evening; he halted and rested at the foot of a banyan tree near the village gate.

Then the nephew of the Mahathera, a boy by the name of Uparevata, came out of the village. Seeing the noble Mahathera, he drew near him and stood, paying respect. The Mahathera asked the nephew: '"Uparevata, is your grandmother at home?" When the boy answered that she was, the Mahathera said: "Go and tell her of our arrival in the village if she asks the reason for our coming here, say that we shall stay here the whole day and ask her in my name to clean the chamber where I was born and also to arrange lodgings for five hundred monks.

The boy, Uparevata, went to his grandmother Rupasariand told her: "O grandmother, my uncle (Upatissa) has come." "Where is he now?" asked the grandmother. The boy answered: "At the city gate." "Is he alone or is there somebody else too?" "Yes, there are five hundred monks who have come along." "Why did he come?" the grandmother asked him again and the boy related all as instructed by the Mahathera "Oh, why did he want me to clean and arrange lodgings for such a great number of monks?" wondered the lady. "After becoming a monk in his youth, perhaps he desires to return to laity now that he has grown old." With this thought she cleaned the chamber which was the birthplace of the Mahathera and prepared the accommodations for the five hundred monks. She also lighted the standing lamps and sent for the Mahathera.

The noble Mahathera, having ascended to the upper terrace together with the five hundred monks and having entered the chamber and sat down there, he dismissed them saying: "Go to your respective places." As soon as the monks were out, a severe ailment occurred to the Mahathera's body. Deadly pains from discharge of blood developed incessantly. The treatment given to him involved exchange of a vessel in for a vessel out. Thinking, "I do not like the way my son is suffering," the Brahmin lady Rupasaristood, leaning against the doorway of her chamber.

Then the four Deva Kings surveyed where the noble Mahathera, the Captain of the Dhamma, was at present and they saw him lying on his deathbed in the chamber, his birth-place, in the village of Nalaka. And they decided to go there to pay their last respect and to give their last treatment. On arrival they stood near him in respect-paying attitude. When the Mahathera asked who they were, they answered that they were the four kingly deities. "Why did you come?" enquired the Venerable One and they answered, "we came to look after you, Sir." Then the Mahathera sent them back, saying: "Enough! I have a monk as my nurse. You go back!" When they went back Sakka came in the same way. When Sakka departed Mahabrahma came. Both Sakka and Mahabrahma were sent back by the Mahathera with the same word of leave.

Having seen the coming and going of Devas and Brahma, the Brahmin lady Rupasaribecame desirous of knowing who those beings were that came and paid homage to her son. She went near the doorway of the chamber and asked (her younger son Cunda who was already there): "Dear son Cunda, What is the matter?" The younger brother Cunda explained to his mother that the Mahathera was sick, and he told Sariputta Mahathera of their mother's presence. When the Mahathera asked why she came untimely, the mother replied that she did so to see her ailing son, and asked: "Who are those persons, dear son, that visited you first?" "Those who came first to me, madam, are the four great Deva Kings." "Are you superior to those Deva Kings, son?"

The Mahathera anwered: "Madam, those four Deva Kings are like the guardsmen of our residence. Armed with their swords they have protected our Master, the Exalted Buddha, since his conception." The mother continued to ask: "Who are those that came immediately after the Deva Kings?" "He is Sakka." "Are you superior to Sakka too?"

The Mahathera answered: "That Sakka, madam, is like a young samanera who carries my bowl and other articles. When our Master, the Exalted Buddha, descended from the Tavatimsa abode to the human world after his teaching of the Abhidhamma there, Sakka came along carrying the Master's bowl and robe." The mother asked again: "Who is he that came shinning immediately after Sakka's visit?" "Madam:" answered the Mahathera, "the one who came last is Mahabrahma, your God and Master." "Dear son, are you also superior to Mahabrahma, our God?"

Then the Mahathera said: "Oh, yes, madam! On the day our Teacher, the Exalted Buddha, was born, four Mahabrahmas, not just one, came and received the Bodhisatta, the Supreme One, with a gold net.

Mother's attainment of spirituality.

Then the mother reflected: "What I have seen now is my son's magnificence. I wonder how the magnificence of my son's Master, the Exalted Buddha, would like? It must indeed be inestimable!" While she was thus wondering, the five kinds of joy (piti,) occurred to her and pervaded her whole body. The Mahathera perceived: "Now joy and happiness (piti somanassa) has occurred to my mother. This is a very suitable occasion for me to give a Dhamma-talk to her." So he asked: "Madam, what are you thinking about?" "I am wondering, son, that what I have seen now is my son's magnificence and what your Master's would, like, for it must be inestimable." Then the Mahathera explained: "Madam, when our Master, the Exalted One, was born, when he gave up the world, when he gained Enlightenment and when he delivered the First Sermon of Dhammacakka, the system of ten thousand worlds trembled roaringly. There is none in the world who equals our Master in such virtues as morality, mental concentration, wisdom, emancipation and insight through emancipation. For these reasons, he is the possessor of such attributes as Araham, and Sammasambuddha" With this introductory speech, Sariputta Mahathera gave a Dhamma-talk expounding elaborately the attributes of the Buddha.

At the end of the sermon of her beloved eldest son, the mother was established in Sotapatti-phala and said reprovingly: "My dear son Sariputta, why did you fail to give me such wonderfully substantial happiness? Why did you have the heart to do like this?" Thinking "I have paid my debt of gratitude to my mother for my birth. Sotapattiphala is good enough for her," the Mahathera sent her away, saying "Go, madam!" Then he asked his brother Cunda about the time. When the reply was "Almost daybreak", the Mahathera called a meeting of monks; and when Cunda informed him that the monks had been assembled, he asked Cunda to help him sit up.

The Mahathera apologetically addressed the assembly: "Friends, if there is any unpleasant deed or word on my part while you were wandering along with me for forty-four years, kindly forgive me." The assembly of monks replied: "Venerable Sir, during our wandering with you without deserting you for forty-four years, we saw no unpleasant deed or word of yours. In fact, it is you, Venerable Sir, who are to forgive us." When they had said apologetic words, he gathered his robe and covered his face and lay on his right side. Like the Buddha, he entered upon the nine Jhanas that were to be taken up serially; he was absorbed in them progressively and then regressively; again he proceeded in his absorption from the First Jhana up to the Fourth Jhana Immediately after his emergence from the Fourth Jhana, the Mahathera attained Khandha-Parinibbana, Complete Extinction of the physical and mental aggregates occurring through Anupadisesa element, the element of Nibbana without any remnants of the aggregates, causing immediately the great earth to roar echoingly.

Being aware that her son did not say a word and wondering what had happened to her son, the mother RupasariBrahmin lady enquired by running her hands on the dorsum of the foot and felt, and she came to know well that her son had attained Parinibbana. So making a loud noise, she touched the Mahathera's feet with her head and cried, uttering: "Dear son, we did not know of your virtues previously. Now we have no opportunity to invite hundreds of thousands of monks, with you at their head, to my house for feeding! There is no chance to offer you robes! No occasion to have hundreds of dwellings built!" Thus she wailed till dawn. As soon as dawn came, the mother summoned gold smiths, had the treasuries opened and gold bars weighed with a huge pair of scales and handed them over to the goldsmiths, ordering: "Brothers, make with this gold bullion five hundred spired halls and five hundred pavilions."

Sakka too called Visukamma Deva and commanded him: "Friend Visukamma, the Captain of the Dhamma, Sariputta Mahathera, has attained Parinibbana. Create five hundred spired halls and five hundred pavilions of gold." Visukamma created them all under Sakka's command. In this way there were five hundred spired structures and five hundred pavilions caused to be built by the mother and another five hundred spired halls and another five hundred pavilions created by Visuakamma, totalling two thousand golden structures.

Thereafter a large hall was built with a big golden pinnacle in the middle at the centre of the Nalaka village and other pinnacles were made for lesser halls. Then took place the ceremony for funeral rites. In this ceremony Devas mingled with humans and humans with Devas and thus they all paid homage to the remains of the Mahathera, making the ceremony more crowded.

The story of Revatithe female devotee.

The Mahathera's female devotee, Revatiby name, came to the funeral having three golden vases made to honour her Master. At that moment Sakka too came to the human world with the intention to do honour to the Mahathera and with him were divine dancing girls as his companions, numbering two crores and five million. Learning of Sakka's visit, people turned back and moved away. In the crowd was Revatiwho also tried to move back like others, but as she was heavy with child, she could not get to a safe place and fell down in the midst of the people. Not seeing her the people trod on her and went away. Revatidied on the spot and was reborn in a golden mansion in Tavatimsa. Instantly she had a body about three gavutas, resembling a huge gem stone. Her ornaments were about the load of sixty carts and her retinue of divine maids were a thousand in number.

Then the maids place a big mirror in front of her. When she saw her luxuries she pondered: "This wealth is great indeed! What kind of good works have I done?" And this led her to know thus:"I paid homage to the Mahathera Sariputta with three golden vases. The people stepped on me and got away. I died on the spot and took instant rebirth in this Tavatimsa. I shall tell the people clearly of the result of my wholesome deeds done to the Mahathera. So she came down in her own flying mansion to the realm of human beings.

Seeing the golden mansion from a distance, the people were amazed wondering: "What is the matter? Are there two suns rising brightly?" While they were thus talking, the big mansion came near, and showed up its shape. Then they said: "This is not a sun. It is a gigantic gold mansion!" While the people were saying among themselves, the golden mansion came nearer in a moment and halted in the sky just above the funeral pyre of fragrant wood piled up to burn the remains of the Mahathera. The goddess Revatileft the mansion in the sky and came down to the earth. "Who are you?" asked the people and Revatireplied: "Do not you know me? I am Revatiby name. After honouring the Mahathera with three golden vases, I was trodden on by the people to death and was reborn in Tavatimsa. Behold my fortune and splendour. You too now give alms. Do other acts of merit as well." Thus she spoke in praise of the beneficial results of good works, she paid homage and circumambulated the funeral pyre by keeping it at her right; she then went back home to her divine abode of Tavatimsa. (This is the story of Revati.)

Conveyance of the relics to Savatthi by Cunda.

Having performed the funeral rites for seven days, the people made a heap of fragrant wood, its height measuring ninety-nine cubits, They put the Mahathera's remains on the fragrant wooden heap and lighted it with wisps of fragrant grass. On the site where the cremation took place a Dhamma-talk was given throughout the night. At day-break the Venerable Anuruddha Mahathera extinguished the fire of the funeral pyre with scented water. The Mahathera Sariputta's young brother Cunda Thera put the relics in the water filter, and thinking, I must not stay here now in this Nalaka village. I shall report the attainment of Parinibbana by my older brother Sariputta Mahathera, the Captain of the Dhamma, to the Exalted One." So he took the water-filter containing the relies and collected the Mahathera's requisites such as bowl, robe, etc., and went to Savatthi. He spent only one night, not two nights, at each stage of his journey and duly reached Savatthi.

Then Cunda Thera bathed in the lake near the Jetavana monastery, came up to the shore and put on his robes properly. He reflected: "Buddha are great personalities to be respected like a stone umbrella. They are diffictllt to approach like a snake with its erected hood or like a lion, tiger or an elephant in must I dare not go straight to the Exalted One to inform him. Whom should I approach first?" Reflecting thus he remembered his preceptor: "My preceptor, the custodian of the Dhamma, the Venerable Ananda Mahathera, is a very close good friend of my brother. I shall go to him and relate the matter and then shall I take him with me and speak with the Exalted One." So he went to Ananda Mahathera, paid respect to him and sat down at a proper place. And he said to Ananda Mahathera:"Venerable Sir; Sariputta Mahathera has attained Parinibbana. This is his bowl and this his robe, and this the water-filter containing his relics. Thus he presented one article after another while speaking to Ananda Mahathera. (It should be noted that Cunda Thera did not go straight to the Buddha but to Ananda Thera first, because he had profound respect for the Buddha as well as for his preceptor.)

Then Ananda Mahathera said: "My friend Cunda, we have some verbal excuse to see the Exalted One. Come, friend Cunda, let us go. Let us approach the Exalted One and tell him of the matter." So saying ƒnanda Mahathera took Cunda Thera and they went to the Buddha, paid respect to him, took their proper seats. Thereafter the Venerable Ananda said to the Buddha:

"Exalted Buddha, this Thera Cunda who has been known as a novice (saman'uddesa) has informed me that the Venerable Sariputta has attained Parinibbana". This is the' Mahathera's bowl, this his robe and this his water-filter with the relics.

So saying Ananda Mahathera handed over the water-filter to the Buddha.

The Buddha stretched out his hand to receive the water-filter and placed it on his palm and addressed the monks:

"Monks, my dear sons, fifteen days ago Sariputta performed a number of miracles and sought my permission to enter Parinibbana. Now only his bodily relics remain which are as white as the newly polished conch shell.

Monks, that monk Sariputta was one who had fulfilled Paramis for an asankhyeyya and a hundred thousand aeons. He was the individual who turned the Wheel of the Dhamma that had been turned by me previously or one who had taught the Wheel of the Law that had been taught by me. Marvellously did he occupy the place that was next to mine.

That monk Sariputta caused the Savaka sannipata, the assembly of Disciples, with his presence extremely well. (The Savaka-sannipata emerged on the day he became an Arahant.) Leaving me aside he was peerless in possessing wisdom throughout the jatikhetta, the system often thousand worlds."

"That monk Sariputta was of great wisdom, of vast wisdom, of active wisdom, of quick wisdom, of sharp wisdom, and of wisdom destructive to kilesa (passion), of few wants, easily contented, free from nivaranas (hindrances), unmixed with people, highly energetic; he admonishes others by pointing out their faults, condemns evil deeds and evil doers regardless of their social positions."

"Dear monks, (a) that monk Sariputta embraced asceticism after renouncing his great wealth in five hundred existences; (b) that monk Sariputta had forbearance that was as mighty as the great earth; (c) that monk Sariputta was least conceited as a horn-broken bull; (d) that monk Sariputta was humble-minded as a beggar's son."

"Dear monks, behold the relics of Sariputta who was of great wisdom! Behold the relics of Sariputta who was of vast wisdom, of active wisdom, of quick wisdom, of sharp wisdom, of wisdom penetrative to kilesa, of few wants, easily contented, free from nivaranas, unmixed with people, highly energetic; he admonished others by pointing out their faults, condemned evil deeds and evil doers regardless of their social positions!" (After uttering thus in prose, the Buddha went on to speak the following verses:)

Yo pabbaji jatisatani panca pahaya kamani manoramani, Tam vitaragam susamahit'indriyam parinibbutam vandatha Sariputtam (1)

O my dear sons, monks! That noble monk named Sariputta unflinchingly and completely discarded sense pleasure that could delight the foolish mind; he adopted an ascetic life with great faith for five hundred existences. To that noble monk named Sariputta who now has totally cut off craving and passion, whose sense-faculties were well restrained, who has attained Parinibbana and ceased suffering, bow your heads in homage with your faith respectful and conceit destroyed.

Khantibalo pathavisamo na kuppati na ca'pi cittassa vasena vattati. Anukampako karuniko ca nibbuto parinibbutam vandatha Sariputtam. (2)

O my dear sons, monks! That noble monk named Sariputta had great forbearance as his strength; resembling the great earth he showed no anger to others; never yielded to the whims of the unstable mind; he looked after many beings with loving-kindness he was immensely compassionate; he quenched the heat of kilesa. To him, who has attained Parinibbana and ceased suffering bow your heads in homage with your faith respectul and conceit destroyed.

Candalaputto yatha nagaram pavittho nicamano carati kalopihattho Tatha ayam vicarati Sariputto parinibbutam vandatha Sariputtam. (3)

O my dear sons, monks! Just as the son of a poor beggar who enters towns and villages, looking for food with a worn out cup made of bamboo strips in his hand, wanders without conceit but humble-minded, even so this noble monk named Sariputta wandered knowing no pride but in all humility. To him, who has attained Parinibbana and ceased suffering, bow your heads in homage with your faith respectful and conceit destoryed.

Usabho yatha chinnavisanako ahethayanto carati purantare vane. Tatha ayam viharati Sariputto parinibbutam vandatha Sariputtam. (4)

"O my dear sons, monks! Just as the horn-broken bull wanders in towns, and villages and forests, absolutely harmless to other beings, even so the noble monk named Sariputta wandered doing no halm to others and lived in harmony with four postures of lying, sitting, standing and walking. To him, who has attained Parinibbana and ceased suffering bow your heads in homage with faith respectful and conceit destroyed.

Beginning thus the Buddha praised the virtues of the Venerable Sariputta Mahathera in five hundred verses.

The more the Buddha praised in all manner the Mahathera's virtues, the greater Ananda Thera's helplessness. As a chicken near a cat's mouth trembles, so does the Venerable Ananda helplessly tremble Accordingly he asked the Buddha:

"Exalted Buddha, having heard of the Mahathera Sariputta's Parinibbana, I feel as though my body becomes stiff, the directions blur my eyes, the Dhamma does not manifest itself to me. (I am not inclined to learn any unlearnt Dhamma-texts nor am I interested to recite what I have learnt.)"

Then in order to cheer him up the Buddha said as follows:

"My dear Ananda, does Sariputta attain Parinibbana taking with him the aggregate of your sila virtues or taking with him the aggregate of samadhi virtues, panna virtues, vimutti virtues, vimuttinana-dassana virtues?"

Thereupon Ananda Mahathera replied:

"Exalted Buddha, the Venerable Sariputta does not attain Parinibbana, taking the aggregate of my sila virtues, my samadhi virtues, panna virtues, vimutti virtues, or vimuttinana-dassana virtues.

In fact, Exalted Buddha, the Venerable Mahathera exhorted me, made me plunge into the Dhamma, made me understand the Dhamma, made me set up the Dhamma; he made me become ardent and happy to practise the Dhamma, he was anxious to preach to me; he showed favour to his co-residents, I always remember his Dhamma influence, his Dhamma instruments and his righteous support."

The Buddha knowing that the Thera Ananda was really in great distress, said to him as follows, for he desired to abate his sorrowful feelings:

"My dear Ananda, have not I talked to you long before about separation from one's beloved while alive (nanabhava), separation by death (vinabhava) and separation being in different existences (annathabhava)? Dear Ananda, herein how would it be possible to wish that something having the nature of newly coming to life, clearly coming into existence and being subject to conditioning and destruction should not pass away? Indeed there is no such possibility!"

"My dear Ananda, while a big substantial tree is standing, its largest branch might come to destruction; similarly, while the community of worthy monks is existing, Sariputta ceases to live Herein how would it be possible to wish that somehting having the nature of newly coming to live, clearly coming into existence and being subject to conditioning and destruction should not pass away? Indeed there is no such possibility.

"My dear Ananda, live not by depending on others but by depending on yourself. Live not by relying on other doctrines but by relying on the supramundane ones!" "My dear Ananda, how should a monk live not by depending on others but by depending on himself? How should one live not relying on other doctrines but by relying on supremundane ones?"

"My dear Ananda, in this dispensation a monk lives, eradicating craving and grief that tend to appear in the world, by putting strong efforts, by reflecting, by being mindful, by repeatedly seeing the body as the body. By putting strong efforts, by reflecting, by being mindful, (one lives, eradicating [ 57 ] craving and grief that tends to appear in the world), by repeatedly seeing feelings as the feelings, by repeatedly seeing the mind as the mind,... by repeatedly seeing phenomena as phenomena."

"My dear Ananda, in this way a monk lives not by depending on others but by depending on himself. He lives not by relying on other doctrines but by relying on supramundane ones."

"My dear Ananda, if monks at present or after my demise live by not depending on others but by depending on themselves, by not relying on other doctrines but by relying on supramundane ones, all of them will become noblest (Arahants) indeed among those who take the three trainings favourable."

Speaking him this way the Buddha gave some relief to the Venerable Ananda. Thereafter he had the bone relics of the Venerable Sariputta enshrined in a cetiya in the city of Savatthi.

This is an account of Sariputta Mahathera's attainment of Parinibbana.

Moggalana Mahathera's attainment of Parinibbana.

After having the relics of Sariputta Mahathera enshrined in a cetiya in Savatthi as has been said, the Buddha gave a hint to Ananda Mahathera that he would travel to Savatthi. Ananda Mahathera then informed the monks of the Buddha's proposed journey to that city. In the company of a large number of monks, the Buddha set out from Savatthi to Rajagaha and took residence in the Veluvana monastery.

(Herein the Buddha attained Enlightenment on the full-moon day of Vesakha (April-May). On the first waxing day of Magha the Thera Sariputta and Moggalana joined the Samgha and on the seventh day the Venerable Moggalana attained Arahantship. On the fifteenth day, the full moon of Magha, did Sariputta become an Arahant.

(On the full moon day of Kattika (October-November) of the year 148 Maha Era, the day the Buddha completed 45 vassas and the two Chief Disciples 44 vassas, the Venerable Sariputta attained Parinibbana at his native village Nalaka. It should be noted briefly in advance that the Venerable Moggalana did the same at the Kalasila stone slab on Mount Isigili, Rajagaha, on the new-moon day of that month of Kattika. The account of Sariputta Mahathera's attainment of Parinibbana has been given. Now comes that of Moggalana Mahathera's as follows:)

While the Buddha was staying at the Veluvana monastery of Rajagaha, the Mahathera Maha Moggalana was sojourning at the stone slab named Kalasila on Mount Isigili.

As the Mahathera was at the height of his super normal powers, he used to travel to the realm of Devas as well as to that of Ussada hell. After himself seeing the great enjoyment of divine luxuries by the Buddha's followers in Deva world and the great suffering of heretical disciples in Ussada, he came back to the human world and told the people that such and such a male or female donor was reborn in Deva world, enjoying great luxuries but among the followers of heretics such and such a man or a woman landed in a certain hell. People therefore showed their faith in the Buddha's teaching but avoid heretics. For the Buddha and his disciples the people's honour and hospitality increased whereas those for the heretics decreased day by day.

So the latter conceived a grudge against the Mahathera Maha Moggalana. They discussed and decided, saying, "If this monk Moggalana lives longer our attendants and donors might disappear and our gains might diminish gradually. Let us have him killed." Accordingly they paid a thousand coins to a chief robber called Samanaguttaka for putting the noble Mahathera to death.

With the intention to kill the Mahathera the chief robber Samanaguttaka went accompanied by a large number of robbers to Kalasila. When the Mahathera saw him, he evaded flying into the air by means of his supernormal powers. Not finding the Mahathera the chief robber came back that day and went there again the next day. The Mahathera evaded in the same way. Thus six days had elapsed.

On the seventh day, however, his misdeed done in the past, the aparapariya akusalakamma, got its chance to have its effect. The aparapariya unwholesome deed of the Mahathera will be dealt with as follows:

In one of his former existences when he was unexperienced, wrongly following the slanderous words of his wife, he wished to kill his parents; so he took them in a small vehicle (cart) to the forest and pretending to encounter the plunder by robbers, he attacked his parents. Being unable to see who attacked them because of their blindness and believing that the attacker was the real robber, cried for the sake of their son saying, "Dear son, these robbers are striking us. Run away, dear son to safety!"

With remorse he said to himself: "Though I myself beat them, my parents cried worrying about me. I have done a wrong thing!" So he stopped attacking them and making them believe that the robbers were gone, he stroked his parents' arms and legs and said: "O mother and father fear not. The robbers have fled." Taking his parents, he went home.

Having no chance to show its effect for a long time, has evil deed remained like a live charcoal covered by ash and now in his last existence it came in time to seize upon and hurt him. A worldly simile may be given as follows: when a hunter sees a deer, he sends his dog for the deer, and the dog following the deer, catches up at the right place and bites the prey. In the same way, the evil deed done by the Mahathera had now got its chance to show its result and did so in this existence of the Mahathera. Never has there been any person who escapes the result of his evil deed that finds its opportunity to show up at an opportune moment.

Knowing full well of his being caught and bitten by his own evil deed, the Venerable Mahathera was unable to get away by his supernormal power at the seventh attempt, the power that had been strong enough to make the Naga King Nandopananda tamed and to make the Vejayanta palace tremble. As a result of his past wickedness he could not fly into the air. His power that had enabled to defeat the Naga King and to make the Vejayanta tremble had now become weak because of his former highly atrocious act.

The chief robber Samanaguttaka arrested the Mahathera, hit him and pounded him so that the bones broke to pieces like broken rice, After doing this deed known as palalapithika (pounding the bones to dust so they become something like a ring of straw used as a cushion to put something on; it was a kind of cruelty.) After so doing and thinking that the Mahathera was dead, the chief robber threw the body on a bush and departed together with his men.

Becoming conscious the Mahathera thought of seeing the Buddha before his demise and having fastened his pounded body with the bandage of his psychic powers he rose up into the sky and went to the Buddha by air and paid homage to the Master. Thereafter the following conversation took place between the Mahathera and the Buddha;

Mahathera: Exalted Buddha, I have given up the control of my life process (ayusankhara). I am going to attain Parinibbana.

Buddha: Are you going to do so, my dear son Moggalana?

Mahathera: Yes, I am, Venerable Sir.

Buddha: Where will you go and do that?

Mahathera: At the place where Kalasila stone slab is, Exalted Buddha.

Buddha: In that case, dear son Moggalana, give me a Dhamma-talk to me before you go. I will not have another opportunity to see a Disciple like you.

When the Buddha said thus, the noble Mahathera, replying, "Yes, Exalted Buddha, I shall obey you," paid homage to the Buddha and flew up into the air up to the height of a toddy palm tree, then that of two palm trees and in this way he rose up to the height of seven trees, and as the Venerable Sariputta had done before on the day of his Parinibbana, he displayed various miracles and spoke of the Dhamma to the Buddha. After paying homage respectfully, he went to the forest where Kalasila was and attained Parinibbana.

At that very moment a tumult arose in all six planes of Deva worlds. Talking among themselves, "Our Master Mahathera Moggalana is said to have attained Parinibbana." Devas and Brahmas brought divine unguents, flowers, fragrance, smoke and sandalwood powder as well as various fragrant divine firewood. The height of the funeral pyre made of sandalwood was ninety-nine cubits. The Buddha himself came together with his monks and standing near the remains supervised the funeral arrangements and had the cremation conducted.

On a yojana-vast environs of the funeral site fell a rain of flowers. At the funeral ceremony there were human beings moving about among Devas and Devas moving about among human beings in due course, among Devas stood demons; among demons Gandhabba Devas, among Gandhabba Devas Nagas, among Nagas Garulas, among Garulas Kinnaras, among Kinnaras umbrellas, among umbrellas fans made of golden camar; (yak) tail, among those fans round banners, and among round banners were flat ones. Devas and humans held the funeral ceremony for seven days.

The Buddha had the relics of the Mahathera brought and a cetiya built in which the relics were enshrined near the gateway of the Veluvana monastery.

Murderers punished.

The news of the murder of MahaMoggalana Mahathera spread throughout the whole Jambudipa. King Ajatasattu sent detectives to all places to investigate and arrest the murderous robbers. While the murderers were drinking at a liquor shop one of them provokingly slapped down the liquor cup of another fellow. Then the provoked man said to pick a quarrel, "Hey, you wretched one, a stubborn fellow! Why did you do that and make my cup fall to the ground?" Then the first man annoyingly asked: "Hey, you scoundrel! How was it? Did you dare to hurt the Mahathera first?" "Hey, you evil one! Did not you know that it was I who first and foremost did harm to the monk?" the other man defiantly retorted.

Hearing the men saying among themselves "It was I who did the killing. It was I who murdered him!" the king's officers and detectives seized all the murderers and reported (to King Ajatasattu) on the matter. The king summoned them and asked: "Did you kill the Venerable Maha Moggalana?" "Yes, we did, Great King," the men replied admitting. "Who asked you to do so?" "Great King, those naked heretics did by giving us money," The men confessed.

The king had all the five hundred naked heretics caught and buried together with the murderers in the pit navel-deep in the the courtyard. They were covered with straw and burnt to death. When it was certain that they all had been burnt, they were cut to pieces by ploughing over them with a plough fixed with iron spikes.

(Herein the account of Maha Moggalana Thera's attainment is taken from the exposition of the Sarabhanga Jataka of the Cattalisa Nipata; that of the punishment of the murderers from the exposition of Maha Moggalana Vatthu of the Dhammapada Commentary.)

Concerning the fact that the Buddha himself supervised the funeral of the Mahathera Moggalana, the monks in the Dhamma-hall remarked: "Friends, since Sariputta Mahathera's Parinibbana did not take place near the Buddha he did not receive the Buddha's honour. On the other hand MahaMoggalana received it because he attained Parinibbana in the neighbourhood of the Buddha. When the Buddha came and asked the monks what they were talking about, they gave the answer. The Buddha then said: "Monks, Moggalana was honoured by me not only in this life but also in the past." The Buddha told them the Sarabhanga Jataka of the Cattalisa Nipata. (The detailed account of the Sarabhanga Jataka may be taken from the the Five Hundred and Fifty Jataka Stories.)

Soon after the Parinibbana of the two Chief Disciples the Buddha went on a great circular (Mahamandala) tour in the company of monks and reached the town of Ukkacela where he made his alms-round, and delivered the Ukkacela Sutta on the sand banks of the Ganga. (The full text of the Sutta may be read in the Mahavagga Samyutta.

This is the story is of the two Chief Disciples.

Khuddaka Nikaya - Buddhavamsa - Kondanna Mahathera

Khuddaka Nikaya - Buddhavamsa - Kondanna Mahathera

The Great Chronicle of The Buddhas
by Mingun Sayadaw

Edited and Translated by
U Ko Lay and U Tin Lwin
Yangon, Myanmar

THE SAMGA JEWEL

I shall now narrate the stories of Mahatheras on the authority of the exposition of the Ekaka-Nipata, Etadagga-Vagga of the Anguttara Nikaya Commentary beginning with the story of Kondanna Mahathera, taken from among the members of the noble Samgha the Buddha's Disciples who were endowed with such attributes as Suppatipannata.

In dealing with the stories of these Mahatheras, I shall do so in four stages: (a) aspiration expressed in the past, (b) ascetic life adopted in final existence, (c) attainment of unique spirituality and (d) etadagga (top) title achieved.
1. KONDANNA MAHATHERA

(a) Aspiration expressed in the past

Counting backward from this Bhadda-kappa, over a hundred, thousand aeons ago, there appeared the Buddha Padumuttara. (The reason for the Buddha's having this name has been mentioned in the Second Part of the First Volume, p 202). Having appeared among the three classes of beings, Padumuttara Buddha in the company of a hundred thousand monks made his alms-rounds visiting a series of villages, townships and royal cities in order to release many compassionately [from suffering] and arrived at his (native) city of Hamsavati. His father, King Ananda, heard the good news of the son's visit, and together with his people and officials extended welcome to the Buddha. As the Buddha gave a sermon to the crowd headed by King Ananda, some became Sotapannas, some Sakadagamis, some Anagamis and the rest Arahats at the end of the sermon.

The king then invited the Buddha for the morrow's meal, and the next day he sent for the Buddha with a message about the meal-time and made a grand offering of food to the Buddha and his company of a hundred thousand monks at his golden palace. Padumuttara Buddha gave a talk in appreciation of the meal and went back to the monastery. In the same way, the citizens gave their Mahadana the following day. The third day saw that of the king. Thus the Mahadana performed by the king and the citizens alternately went on for a long time.

At that time a good clansman, the future Kondanna, was born, in a prosperous household. One day while the Buddha was preaching, he saw the citizens of Hamsavati with flowers, perfumes, etc. in their hands heading for the place of the Three Gems and he went along with them where the Buddha's delivery of the sermon took place.

In the meantime Padumuttara Buddha declared his appointment of a certain bhikkhu as the first of all rattannu(long-standing) bhikkhus to realize the four Truths and to gain release from samsara thereby in his dispensation. When the clansman heard, he reflected: "Great indeed is this man! It is said that leaving aside the Buddha himself there is no other person before him who has realized the four Truths."What if I too become a monk like him realizing the four Truths before all others do in the dispensation of a coming Buddha!" At the close of the Buddha's preaching, the clansman approached the Buddha and invited saying: "Please accept my offering of food tomorrow, Exalted Buddha!" The Buddha accepted the invitation by keeping silent.

Knowing clearly that the Buddha had accepted his invitation, the clansman paid his respect to the Buddha and returned home: the whole night he spent by decorating seats with fragrant festoons of flowers and also by preparing delicious food. The following day he treated the Buddha and his company of a hundred thousand monks at his house to a sumptuous feast of saIi rice with gruel and other courses as side dishes. When the feast was over, he placed at the feet of the Buddha entirely new and soft but thick pieces of cloth made in the country of Vanga and enough to make three robes. Then he reflected as follows: "I am not a seeker of a small religious post but I am a seeker of a big one. A day's Mahadana like this may not be adequate if I aspire for a lofty designation. Therefore I shall aspire after it by performing Mahadana for seven days successively."

The clansman gave Mahadana in the same manner for seven days. When the meal-offering was over, he had his store-house of garments opened and put fine and nice clothes at the feet of the Buddha and offered three-piece sets of robes to the hundred thousand monks. He then approached the Buddha and said: "Exalted Buddha, just as the bhikkhu whom you admiringly declared to be the holder of the etadagga title seven days ago, may I be able to become the first to penetrate the four Truths after donning the robe in the dispensation of a coming Buddha." Having said so, he remained paying respect in prostration at the Buddha's feet.

Hearing the clansman's words of aspiration the Buddha Padumuttara tried to see in his vision, saying to himself: "This clansman has done most significant acts of merit. Will his aspiration be fulfilled or be fulfilled not?" He then came to know clearly that "It will definitely be!"

Indeed there is no hindrance at all, even as an atom, that would cover his vision whether a Buddha tries to see the past or the future or the present events. All the events in the past or the future though there be a barrier of crores and crores of aeons, or all the events in the present though there be a barrier of thousands of universes, they are all associated with reflection. (As soon as they are reflected on they become manifest distinctly.) In this way with his intellectual power that knew no hindrances, Padumuttara Buddha saw in his vision thus: "A hundred thousand aeons from now there will arise singularly an Exalted One, Gotama by name, among the three classes of beings. Then will this clansman's aspiration be fulfilled!" Knowing thus the Buddha prophesied to the clansman: "Dear clansman, a hundred thousand aeons from now a Buddha by the name of Gotama will appear in the three worlds. When Gotama Buddha delivers the first sermon 'the Wheel of the Law'; at the end of the sermon, the Dhammacakkapavattana Sutta, with its three functions, you will be established together with eighteen crores of Brahmas in Sotapatti-phala.

Story of two brothers: Mahakala and Culakala

Having performed acts of merit such as alms-giving for a long period of a hundred thousand years, the wealthy clansman, the future Kondanna was reborn in a celestial abode on his death. While he was passing between Deva world and human world, ninety-nine thousand nine hundred and nine aeons elapsed. (That is to say he enjoyed only divine or human lives knowing no rebirth in any woeful states for 99909 aeons.) After living through such a long duration, ninety-one aeons, when counted backwards from this Bhadda aeon, the clansman, the future Kondanna, was born in the family of a householder and named Mahakala in a village near the gate of the royal city Bandhumati. His younger brother was known as Culakala.

At that time the future Vipassi Buddha expired from Tusita celestial abode and took conception in the womb of Bandhumai, the Chief Queen of King Bandhuma. (As has been described in the Chapter on the twenty-four Buddhas, Ch. IX of Vol 1, Pt II, he duly became an Omniscient Buddha; as he was requested by Maha Brahma to preach, he pondered as to whom he should preach first. He then saw his own younger brother Prince Khanada and the Purohita's son, the young Tissa. "These two," he decided, "are capable of penetrating the four Truths first." He also made up his mind thus: "I will preach to them. I will also do favour to my royal father." He then took an aerial journey from the Maha Bodhi and descended at the Deer Park called Khema. He sent for Prince Khanda and Tissa and gave them a sermon, at the end of which both of them were established together with eighty-four thousand sentient beings in Arahatship.

The eighty four thousand clansmen who went forth along with the future Vipassi Buddha, hearing of the event, came then to the Buddha and listened to the Dhamma and were duly established in Arahatship. Vipassi Buddha appointed Khanda Thera and Tissa Thera Chief Disciples and placed them on his right hand side and his left respectively.

On receiving the news King Bandhuma became desirous of paying homage to his son. Vipassi Buddha went to the Park, listened to the sermon and took the Three Refuges; he also invited the Buddha for the morrow's meal and departed after paying respect to the Buddha. On arrival back at the palace he got an idea thus while sitting in his grand pavilion: "My older son has renounced the world and has become Buddha. My second son has become Chief Disciple on the Buddha's right-hand side. The Purohita's son, the young Tissa, has become Chief Disciple on the left. The rest of the eighty-four thousand monks used to surround and attend upon my son while they were all lay men. Therefore the Sangha headed by my son was under my charge before and so should they be now too. I alone will be responsible for the provision of them with the four requisites. I will give others no chance to do so." Thinking thus the king had the walls of cutch-wood built on either side of the route from the gate of the monastery to the palace and had them covered with canvas; he had festoons hung which were as thick as the trunk of a toddy palm and decorated with gold stars; he also had canopies put up. As for the ground, he had it covered with exquisite spreads. On both sides of the route within the walls he had pots filled with water and placed near flowering bushes and had perfumes placed among flowers and flowers among perfumes. Then did he send for the Buddha with a message that it was now time for the meal. In the company of his monks, Vipassi Buddha came to the palace along the route fully covered and partook of his meal and went back to the monastery. Nobody else had a chance just to see the Buddha. How could one have an opportunity to offer food and to honour him? Indeed nobody else could.

Then there took place a discussion among, the citizens:

"It has now been seven years and sevens months since the arising of the Buddha in the world. But we have had so far no opportunity just to see the Buddha, what to speak of offering food, honouring him and listening to his sermon. 'Absolutely, we have no such privileges, at all. The king personally attended to the Buddha adoringly with the notion that 'The Buddha is only my Buddha, the Dhamma is only my Dhamma and the Sangha is only my Sangha.' The arising of the Buddha is for the welfare of the world of sentient beings together with Devas and Brahmas but not only for the king's welfare. Indeed it is not that the hell-fire is hot only to the king and is like a blue lotus to others. Were it well therefore if the king gave us the Exalted One (our right of service to the Buddha); if not, we shall battle with the king and take over the Sangha to do acts of merit towards them. Let us fight for our right. But there is one thing: we citizens alone might not be able to do so. Let us therefore find a chief who will lead us."

Accordingly they went to the general of the army and openly told him of their plan and directly asked: "O General, will you be one of us or will you join the king?" Then the general said: "I will be one of you. But there is one condition: you must give me the first day for my service to the Buddha." And the citizens agreed to it.'

The general went to the king and said: "The citizens are angry with you, Great King." When asked by the king about the reason, he said: "Because you alone are attending to the Buddha and they do not have such a chance, so they say. Great King, it is not too late yet. If they were given permission to serve the Buddha, they would no longer be angry. If not, they said they would give battle to you." Then the king replied: "General, I shall wage war but by no means shall I give up the Sangha.""Great King," said the general, putting the king in a difficult position: Your servicemen are threatening that they will take up arms against you. Whom would you call up to encounter the looming war?" "Are not you my general?" asked the king persuasively. "I cannot fight being separated from the citizens, Great King," said the general.

The king then realized "The force of the citizens is great. The general too is one of them." He therefore made a request, saying "In that case, friends, let me feed the Sangha only for another period of seven years and seven months." But the citizens did not agree and rejected the request. The king reduced the duration of his proposed Dana step by step to six years, five years, and so on and finally to seven days. Then the people came to a unanimous decision, saying among themselves, "Now that the king has asked for seven days to perform the act of food offering, it is not good for us to be so stubborn in rivalry with him."

King Bandhuma gave away in seven days, all his offerings, which were meant for seven years and seven months. For the first six days he did so without letting the people see; on the seventh day, however, he invited the citizens and showed them his grand offering of Dana, saying to sound them out; "Friends, will you be capable of giving such a grand Dana?" "Great King," retorted the citizens: "but your Dana took place only with our help, didn't it? And he asserted, "Yes, we are capable." Wiping the tears with the back of his palm, the king paid obeisance to the Buddha and said: "My dear son, Glorious Buddha, I have decided to support you together with one hundred and sixty-eight thousand monks for life with the four requisites giving no assignments to others. But now I am compelled to allow the people to attend to you. In fact, they were angry with me and complaining about their deprivation of right of giving alms. My son, Exalted Buddha, from tomorrow onwards please do them a favour!" Thus did he pathetically utter words of compliance in despair.

The next day, the general gave a grand Dana to the Sangha with the Buddha at its head as he had the agreement with the people. (Hence the story of Saddhasumana may briefly be told as contained in the Anguttara Commentary Vol III.)

Story of Saddhasumana

On the day allotted to him, the general while supervising his grand Dana issued the order saying "Care must be taken so that no other person should get a chance to offer even a spoonful or ladleful of rice," and he placed sentries to keep watch around the area. That very day, a widow of a wealthy merchant of Bandhumati was crying in great distress (because she did not get a chance to offer her share of Dana for the first day); she complained pitiably, saying to her daughter who had just come back from the games she played with her five hundred female playmates: "My darling daughter, if your father were alive, I could have been today the first to feed the Buddha." The daughter responded saying words of comfort: "O mother, please do not worry! I will do something so that the Sangha headed by the Buddha would accept and partake of our meal first."

After that the daughter filled the gold bowl worth a hundred thousand with milk-food unmixed with water. She added butter, honey, molasses etc. to enrich the food. She covered it with another gold bowl turned upside down and tied both the gold bowls with garlands of jasmine so that it might look like a ball of flowers. When the Buddha entered the city she carried it herself on her head and left the house in a company of her many attendants.

On the way a dialogue took place between the wealthy lady and the watchmen:

Watchmen: Do not come here, daughter!

Lady: Dear uncles! Why do not you allow me to go?

(People of past good deeds speak endearing words. Others are not able to reject their repeated request.)

Watchmen: We are to keep watch by the general's order that nobody else must be allowed to offer alms-food, daughter.

Lady: But, uncles, do you see any food in our hands that warrants you to bar me like this?

Watchmen: We see only the ball of flowers.

Lady: Well, did your general then say even offering of flowers was not allowable?

Watchmen: As for an offering of flowers, it is allowable, daughter.

The lady then saying to the watchmen, In that case please go away. Do not prevent us, uncles," went up to the Buddha and offered her gift with a request, "Please, Glorious Buddha, accept my offering of the ball of flowers." The Buddha glanced at a watchman, signalling him to bring the floral ball. The lady made obeisance and said:

"Glorious Buddha may my life throughout samsara be free from want and worry. May I be lovable to many like this ball of jasmine flowers and be named Sumana in all my coming existences."

As the Buddha answered, "May you be well and happy;" the lady paid respect to the Buddha joyfully and departed.

The Buddha went to the general's house and took his seat prepared. The general brought rice gruel and offered it to the Buddha. The Buddha covered the bowl with his hand. The general thought that the Buddha did not accept the gruel because the monks had not all come yet. When all had come the general reported saying that all were present and seated. The Buddha said:. "We have already had a bowl of food which we received on the way. When the covering jasmines were removed from the bowls the milk-rice with puffs of steam was found. Then the general's young serviceman who had brought the floral ball said: "General, I have been cheated by a distinguished woman who told me that it was just a ball of flowers." The milk-rice was sufficient for all the monks beginning from the Buddha. Only after giving the milk-rice to the Buddha did the general hand over the offerings that were made by himself. When the partaking of food was over, the Buddha delivered a sermon on auspiciousness and left.

When the Buddha had left, the general asked his men about the lady's name and they told her that the she was the daughter of a wealthy merchant. "What a wise woman she is! If such a wise woman administers a household, it may not be difficult for the housefather to attain divine pleasures. Speaking in praise of the lady, the general managed to take her in marriage and placed her as the mistress of the house.

While taking charge of the wealth of both houses, her father's as well as the general's, she gave Dana to the Buddha till the end of her life, and when she expired, she was reborn in the celestial abode, the world of sense pleasures. At that very moment, a rain of jasmines fell heavily, filling the whole divine city about knee-deep. "This divine damsel has brought her own name even by herself," so saying all the Devas named her "Sumana Devi".

Sumana Devi was away from woeful states for ninety-one aeons, taking rebirth in celestial and human abodes; wherever she was reborn there rained down jasmines continuously and she continued to be known only as Samana Devi or Samana Kumari. In the dispensation of the present Buddha she was born of King Kosala's Chief Queen; simultaneously in the households of the king's various ministers all her maids were born on the day Samana was. At that very moment it rained jasmines flowers pretty heavily about knee-deep.

Seeing that phenomenon the king thought, "My daughter must have done a unique act of merit in the past" and became overjoyed. "My daughter had brought her name by herself and he let her bear the very name Sumana. Pondering, "My daughter must not have been born alone," the king had her birth-mates searched all over the city and hearing that five hundred girls were born, the king took the responsibility of feeding, nursing and bringing up all five hundred. He also ordered that each month the five hundred girls must be brought and presented to his daughter.

When Princess Sumana was seven, the Buddha in the company of monks came to Savatthi as had been invited by the wealthy Anathapindika through a messenger, for he had completed the construction of the Jetavana monastery. Anathapindika went to King Kosala and said: "Great King, the Exalted One's visit to our city of Savatthi means auspiciousness for you and us. Therefore please send Princess Sumana and her five hundred maids with water-filled pots, perfumes, flowers etc. so that they might welcome the Exalted One and received him with them. The king replied saying, "Very well," and did as told by the merchant. Under the orders of the king, Sumana approached the Buddha and paid him homage with perfumes, flowers etc. and stood at a suitable place. When the Buddha preached to Sumana even on his way, she and all her companions were established together in Sotapatti-phala; so were the five hundred girls, five hundred women and five hundred male lay devotees established in the same Fruition at the Buddha's Dhamma assembly. In this way on the day the Buddha visited the monastery, before he reached there but while on the way, two thousand people became Sotapanna Ariyas.

When the princess came of age King Kosala gave her five hundred chariots and emblems of royalty so that she might use them on her travel, if any, with her five hundred companions. In those days there were three women who received five hundred chariots and royal emblems from their parents. They are (1) Princess Cundi, daughter of King Bimbisara, (2) Visakha, daughter of the wealthy merchant Dhanancaya, and (3) Sumana, daughter of King Kosala as her account has been just given. This is the account of Saddhasumana.

As has beern said, the day after the one on which the general got permission from the king and performed Dana to the Buddha on a grand scale, the citizens organized an offering that was greater than the king's and performed Mahadana to the Samgha headed by the Buddha. When the meal-offering by the whole city was accomplished, the villagers near the city-gate arranged their paying homage as it was their turn to do so.

Then the householder Mahakala discussed with his younger brother Culakala: "Our turn comes tomorrow to pay homage to the Exalted One. What kind of homage shall we pay?" "Brother," replied Culakala, "Please think by yourself of what is proper." Then Mahakala said: "Dear brother, if you follow my plan, our land of sixteen paifull of ripening sali paddy. Shall we take out newly developed paddy from the ears and cook milk-rice befitting to the Exalted One?" Culakala presented his view: "Brother, if we do so, nobody will be benefited. Therefore I do not agree to that."

Then Mahakala said: "If you do not agree to it, I wish to have my share of property." So the sixteen pai of land was divided into two halves, each measuring eight pai and a fence was erected in the middle of the two portions. Then Mahakala took out the tender grain from the ears, to which he added milk unmixed with water; he had it cooked and catumadhu put to it, and offered (1) the (first) food to the Sangha headed by the Buddha. The strange thing was that the ears from which the grain had been taken out became full again with grain as before. (It was a Dana of the first grain formed in their earliest stage of development.)

Mahakala similarly gave the following in charity: (2) the first portion of the paddy that had partially developed to yield newly appeared grain to be pounded; (3) the first portion of the paddy that had fully developed or ripened; (4) the first portion of the paddy that had been reaped; (5) the first portion of the paddy that had been made into sheaves; (6) the first portion of the paddy that had been piled up in sheaves; (7) the first portion of the paddy that had been threshed; (8) the first portion of the paddy that had been winnowed and (9) the first portion of the paddy that had been stored up in the granary.

In this way, each time he grew paddy he accomplished Dana of the first portion (agga-dana) nine times. And never did the quantity of his paddy produced become low despite his Dana; in fact, the amount of paddy even increased and became bigger than before. This indeed was (a) the Thera's wholesome deed in connection with his expressed aspiration made in the past.

(b) Ascetic life adopted in him final existence

The virtuous householder Mahakala, the future Kondanna Thera, performed acts of merit in this way throughout the Buddhas life swell as throughout his, and he wandered from the human abode to the divine and vice versa and enjoyed divine and human luxuries; when our Buddha was about to arise, be was reborn in a wealthy Brahmin family in the Brahmin village of Donavatthu near the city of Kapilavatthu. On his naming day, the young Brahmin was given the name of Kondanna. While being brought up, he was educated in the three Vedas and was accomplished in physiognomy of a great man.

At that time our Future Buddha passed from the Tusita celestial abode and took his conception in the womb of Mahamaya, Chief Queen of King Suddhodana of Kapilavatthu, and was duly born. On the naming day the king presented one hundred and eight Brahmins with absolutely new garments and fed them with sweet pure milk-food He selected from among them eight highly intelligent Brahmin wise men and let them be seated in serial order in the court-yard. He then had the little prince, the Bodhisatta, put lying on white linen and brought to the Brahmins who were to examine the baby's body marks.

The Brahmin, who occupied the first seat among the eight, raised his two fingers and predicted: "If the baby remains a lay man he will become a Universal Monarch. If he lives an ascetic life he will definitely become a Buddha in the three worlds!" In this way declared the remaining Brahmins of the first seven, each putting up two fingers. Of those eight Brahmins the youthful Kondanna was the youngest. When his turn came to predict he studied very carefully the marks on the body and (having pondered that one who would become a Universal Monarch should not have the mark of a Universal Monarch on one's soles but the boy had the same mark on his.) he put up only one finger, boldly predicting: "There is absolutely no reason for the prince to stay in the middle of a household. The prince will indeed become a Buddha!"

After that the wise Brahmins went back to their respective homes and summoned their sons and gave instructions saying: "Dear sons, we have become old. We may or may not be living by the time prince Siddhattha, son of King Suddhodana, attain Omniscient Buddhahood. When the prince does, you dear sons should became monks in his dispensation."

King Suddhodana brought up his son in comfort by providing him with great protection, facilities and resources beginning with his appointment of attendants. When he became sixteen years of age, the prince enjoyed Deva-like royal luxuries and at the age of twenty-nine when he became intellectually more mature, he saw the disadvantages of sense-pleasures and the advantages of renunciation. So on the day his own son Rahula was born, he performed a great act of renunciation by riding the royal steed Kandaka in the company of his connatal and personal officer Channa and by going through the city-gate that was opened by gods. By that single night he passed through the three cities of Kapilavatthu, Koliya and Devadaha, and on the bank of the river Anoma he put on the robe and other paraphernalia which were brought and offered by Ghatikara Brahma. So he arrived at the city of Rajagaha in the very pleasing manner like a Mahathera of sixty years of standing and eighty years of age. After going on alms-round, he partook of his meal in the shadow of the Padava Hill. Though King Bimbisara invited him to stay on and promised to give his kingdom, he turned down the offer and while proceeding he reached in due course the grove of Uruvela. 'Oh!" he exclaimed and uttered: "This flat ground is very pleasant? For the clansmen who wish to devote themselves to meditation, it is the ideal place." With this reflection, he sojourned in that grove and commenced his meditative practice of Dukkara-cariya..

By the time of the Future Buddha's renunciation, all the wise Brahmins except Kondanna had deceased. The youngest Kondanna alone remained in good health. On hearing the tidings that the Bodhisatta had gone forth, he visited the sons of those deceased Brahmins and said: "It is said Prince Siddhattha had become an ascetic. No doubt the prince will attain real Buddhahood. If your fathers were alive they would go forth even today. Come if you wish to do so. Let us become monks in the wake of that great man." But the seven sons were not unanimous in their aspirations: three did not like the idea. Only the remaining four donned the robe under Kondanna's leadership.

After becoming ascetics, the Band of Five (Panca-vaggi) went on round for food in villages, towns and royal cities and reached the Bodhisattas place in due course. While the Bodhisatta was practising his meditation of austerity for six long years, they entertained great hope, thinking," He will soon attain Buddhahood!, He will soon attain Buddhahood!" So thinking they attended to the future Buddha, staying and moving about him.

In the sixth year, he came to realize that the practice of Dukkara cariya would absolutely not earn him the Noble Path and Fruition (Ariya-magga-phala) though he had passed the time by eating just a rice-grain, a sesame seed, etc. and had become emaciated and weary, (As has been described above pp. 199-201, Vol II) he collected food in the village of Senani and ate whatever was available such as rice and hard cakes. Then the Band of Five as compelled by the law that dictates the lives of all Bodhisattas were fed up with the Bodhisatta and left him for Isipatana the Deer Park.

After the Band of Five had thus left him, by eating whatever was available such as rice and hard cakes, the Bodhisatta's skin, flesh and blood became normal in two or three days. On the fullmoon day, (the day he was to become enlightened) he took the excellent milk food offered by Sujita, wife of a wealthy merchant. He then floated the bowl along the current of the river Neranjara and came to decide that he was going to become a Buddha definitely on that very day. In the evening, having been spoken of in praise in all manner by the Naga King Kala, he went up to the Maha Bodhi the site where the great Bodhi tree was and sat down crossed-legged on the Aparajita Throne, the unshakable seat, facing the eastern universe. Having developed his fourfold exertion, he drove away Mara the Deity just before sunset, acquired Pubbenivasa Nana in the first watch of the night, Dibba Cakkhu Nana in the middle watch and, in the last watch he was absorbed in the wisdom of Paticca-samuppada doctrine, reflected with his diamond-like great Vipassana Nana (Mahavajira Vipassana Nana) on its twelve factors forward and backward, up and down, and finally attained Budhahood, having won unique Omniscience (Asadharana Sabbannuta Nana) which is the property of all Buddhas. (as has been told in the section of the Buddha's Enlightenment). On that very Throne under the Maha Bodhi tree did the Buddha pass seven days, being absorbed in the Arahatta-phala Samapatti.

In this way, the Buddha stayed in the seven places and on being requested by Sahampati Brahma, he considered asking himself, "To whom should I preach first?" Then he came to know that the religious teachers Alara and Udaka had deceased and when he continued to think out he got an idea thus: "To the Band of Five I have been thankful very much. They served me while I was engaged in the austere practice. What if I should preach to them first." Such an idea is conceived by all Buddhas as a rule. In fact, with the exception of Kondanna, there was none who could first grasp the four Truths in the dispensation of that Buddha. As for Kondanna, for his capabilities of grasping the four Truths first and foremost, he had performed significant acts of merit for a hundred thousand aeons and had given the unique Dana of the first crop nine times to the Sangha headed by the Buddha as has been told above.

(c) Attainment of unique spirituality

Taking his bowl and robe, the Buddha set out to the Isipatana Deer Park and duly reached the place of the Band of Five Bhikkhus. The Bhikkhus saw the Buddha coming and they made an agreement among themselves not to fulfil their obligatory duties, but as the Buddha was approaching nearer they could not keep their original agreement: one took the bowl and robe from the Buddha, another prepared the seat for him; still another brought water far washing the feet; the fourth washed the Buddha's feet; and the fifth brought the round fan made of palm-leaf to fan him; thus they rendered their respective services.

When the Five Bhikkhus had taken their seats near the Buddha after doing their duties, the Buddha delivered the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta with three functions to the five Bhikkhus with the Mahathera Kondanna as the principal listener in his presence.

A new name for the Thera: "Annasi Kondanna"

At that time the Buddha thought: "As the ascetic Kondanna has first penetrated the four Truths that I have brought with thousands of difficulties, he deserves the name Annasi Kondanna," and so he uttered a solemn utterance: "Annasi vata bho Kondanno; annasi vata bho Kondanno!" ("Oh, Kondanna has penetrated the Four Truths! Oh, Kondanna has penetrated the Four Truths!") Because of this solemn utterance, the Venerable Kondanna came to be known as "Annasi Kondanna, the Penetrating Kondanna from that time onwards.

(d) Etadagga title achieved

In this way the Venerable Kondanna became a Sotapanna on the full moon day of Asalha (June-July) in the year 103, Maha Era (the year the Buddha attained Buddhahood). The day after the full moon, Bhaddiya Thera did; two days after the full moon Vappa Thera, three days after the full moon Mahanama Thera, four days after the fulll moon Assaji Thera realised the same Fruition; Five days after the full-moon at the end of the delivery of the Anatta-lakkhana Sutta, all five members of the Band were established in Arahatta-phala. At that time Arahats among human beings numbered six; the Buddha and the Band of Five Theras.

From that time onwards, to the Ariya Magga and Phala the Buddha led fifty-five friends headed by Yasa the son of a wealthy merchant, thirty-three Bhadda Princes in the Kappasika grove, a thousand former matted-hair ascetics on the stone plateau of Gayasisa and others. After leading many people thus to the Noble Path and Fruition, on the full-moon day of Phussa (December-January) in the same year the Buddha arrived in Rajagaha and established Brahmin householders numbering a hundred and ten thousand headed by King Bimbisara in Sotapatti-phala and ten thousand such householders in the Three Refuges. Having caused the abundant blossoming and fruition of his teaching with the eight wonders and three training, throughout the Jambudipa, the entire land of which he caused to be illuminated bright with the colour of the robes and caused the environs to be blown by the rushing wind from the moving monks and other noble ones. Later on, once when he arrived at the Jetavana monastery of Savatthi City and while remaining there at the monastery and sitting on the Dhamma Throne, the seat for a Buddha, he delivered a sermon and in the course of his delivery, he became desirous of declaring that his eldest son Kondanna was the best of all who first realized the four Truths; and he uttered:

"Etadaggam bhikkhave mama savakanam bhikkhunam rattannunam yadidam annasi kondanno", "O monks, of my disciple monks who are of long standing (rattannu) Annasi Kondanna is the foremost."

Thus speaking in praise of the Mahathera, the Buddha conferred on him the Rattannu Etadagga title.

(Herein "rattannu" literally means "one who knows night time", that is to say one who has passed through the long duration of many nights since one's renunciation." In the Buddha's dispensation there was none who realised the four Truths earlier than Kondanna. Hence Kondanna was the one who knew many nights (i.e. who lived over the greatest number of years) since he became a monk. (According to this explanation, a rattannuindividual means 'the senior most in monkhood.'

Or, as Kondanna Thera realized the four Truths before all others did, since his realization he had passed through many a night. According to this the word in question means the earliest knower of the Four Truths.

Or, as every Arahat is conscious of day-time and night-time, he earns the epithet Rattannu'one who is aware of the divisions of day and night time.' Because Kondanna Mahathera was the earliest of all Arahats, he stood out of from other RattannuArahats knowing the divisions of time).

Annasi Kondanna Mahathera after his attainment of Arahatship

The Mahathera Annasi Kondanna attained Arahatship on the fifth day after the full moon of Asalha. On the full-moon day of Phussa that year the Buddha arrived in Rajagaha and on the first waxing day of Magha (January-February) the future Chief Disciples (Sariputta and Moggallana) donned the robe. On the seventh day the Venerable Moggallana became Arahat and the Venerable Sariputta did so on the full-moon day. In this way when there arose complete categories of Arahats such as Chief Disciples, Great Disciples and Ordinary Disciples, in the Buddha's dispensation, all of whom going their alms-round (in a file arranged according to seniority). When the Buddha gave a discourse, he sat on the Dhamma Throne, the Buddha-seat decorated in the middle of the assembly. The Captain of the Dhamma, Sariputta Thera, sat on the right side of the Buddha and Moggallana Thera on the left side.

At the back of the two Chief Disciples a seat was prepared for the Venerable Kondanna. The remaining monks took their seats surrounding the Mahathera. Because Kondanna was the first to understand the four Truths in the Buddha's dispensation and because he was senior also by age, the two Chief Disciples were respectful to him, they regarded him as Maha Brahma, as a huge mass of fire, or as a highly poisonous serpent; they felt somewhat scared though they occupied the front seats. They were also shy and embarrassed. Kondanna Mahathera then reflected: "For the front seats these two Chief Disciples had fulfilled their Paramis for one Asankhyeyya and a hundred thousand aeons. Though they are taking those seats, they were less confident, shy and embarrassed. I shall do anything that would make them stay at ease." This was a reason [for his vacant seat,]

Besides, Kondanna was a highly powerful Mahathera. Like the attributes of the Buddha, the Mahathera's attributes spread among the people in this universe as well as among the Devas and Brahmas of the ten thousand universes. Therefore the divine and human beings visited and honoured the Buddha with perfumes, flowers etc., and they immediately (after that) approached the Mahathera Kondanna and honoured him, remembering, "This Venerable One was the first to comprehend the unique doctrine of the four Truths." There is also a religious custom, according to which the visiting monk is to give a Dhamma-talk or to exchange greetings with them. As for the Mahathera, he was inclined only to remain blissfully in the attainment of Phalasamapatti (Ariya vihara). Therefore to him Dhamma-talks given to and greetings exchanged with the visitors appeared superfluous. This was another reason.

For these two reasons, the Mahathera desired to stay away from the Master. As he foresaw that his nephew, the young Punna, son of the Brahmin lady Mantani would become a famous Dhamma-preacher (Dhamma-kathika), he went to the Brahmin village of Donavatthu and made his nephew a monk and helped him become a resident pupil (antevasika) with the thought that he would stay behind near the Exalted One. Then he approached the Buddha and made a request: "Glorious Buddha, to me a rural residence is not suitable. I am not capable of staying with the laity. Therefore kindly permit me to live in the Chaddanta forest." And the permission was granted by the Buddha.

Having obtained the permission from the Buddha, Kondanna Thera packed up his bedding, and taking his bowl and robe, he went to the Mandakini lake in the Chaddanta forest. In the region around Chaddanta, eight thousand elephants, who were experienced in serving Pacceka Buddhas and who were long-lived like spirits, became happy as they thought, "a large expanse of fertile field has come to us so that we might sow the seeds of meritorious deeds." So they shovelled a path with their feet and got rid of grass to make a walk for the Thera; they also cleared the walk of twigs and branches that might be in the Thera's way and after making the Thera's residence clean, the eighty-thousand elephants held a discussion among themselves thus:

"Friends, if we expect 'this elephant will do what is necessary to the Thera' or 'that elephant will do it for him,' the Thera will have to return to his dwelling from alms-round with his bowl washed as before as if he had been to a village of his relatives. Therefore let us serve him by taking turns so that there might be no negligence. We must be careful especially when it is an assignment of a particular one (without ignoring with the thought it is not mine)."

And so they took turns in serving the Thera. The elephant on duty would arrange water for washing the face, and twigs for brushing the teeth. The arrangement went on like this, The elephant whose assignment it was to serve, made fire by rubbing those dry firewood that could burn easily such as pine. By this fire he baked stones and rolled them down by means of sticks into the water in the stone basins. After ascertaining the water is hot enough, he would place a tooth brush made of firewood stick. Then the same elephant assigned would sweep the meditation hut that was the Thera's dwelling both inside and out with a broom made of branches. He would also perform [other] duties including his feeding of the Thera in the way that will soon be described.

The Mandakini lake where the Thera resided was fifty yojanas wide. The middle area of the lake measuring twenty-five yojanas was entirely free from algae and other aquatic plants. The water was crystal clear. In its outer circle where the water was waist deep there flourished white-lotus thickets of half a yojanas width surrounding the lake of fifty yojanas; beyond the white lotus thickets existed red paduma lotus- thickets also of half a yojanas width; beyond them white-kumudra lotus-thickets ...; beyond them blue-lotus thickets ...; beyond them red lotus thickets ...; beyond them fragrant red paddy fields ...; beyond them creeper thickets full of such tasty vegetables as cucumber, gourd, pumpkin, etc. and measuring half a yojana in width; beyond them existed sugar-cane thickets also of half a yojana width encircling the lake. The sugar-cane stalks growing there were as thick as the trunk of an areca palm.

Beyond the sugar-cane thickets lay banana-tree thickets also of half a yojana width encircling the lake. Those who happened to have eaten two bananas or so would suffer, feeling stiff and uneasy; beyond the lay jack-fruit grave bearing fruit each being the size of a large jar; beyond that grove lay eugenia grove; beyond that lay mango grove; in this way there lay further groves of fruit trees. In short, it could not be said there were no edible fruit around the Mandakini lake. There were fruit of all kinds.

During the flowering period the wind blew, carrying the pollens from the blossoms and placed them on the lotus leaves. Drops of water fell on those leaves. By the heat of the sun the pollens were cooked and became solidified milk. It was called lotus-honey (comb). It was brought to the Thera by the elephants by turns.

The lotus stems were as thick as the tilling log. Those stems too the elephant took and gave to the Thera. The lotus stems were as large as a drum head . Each joint of the stems contained about one pattha of lotus milk. That lotus milk too the elephants brought and fed the Thera.

The elephants mixed the lotus stock with honey and offered them to the Thera. The animals placed the sugar-cane plants as thick as areca palm on the stone slab and crushed them with their feet. The juice then flowed into stone cups and holes and was cooked by the heat of the sun and it became solidified sugar-cane cakes that were like solidified milk (godan stones). The elephant brought those sugar-cane cakes and offered them to their master.

On the Kelasa bill in the Himavanta lived a god named Nagadatta. The Venerable Thera sometimes went to the doorway of his mansion. The god filled the Theras bowl with pure milk food made of newly produced butter and powder of lotus-honey. The god gave a Dana of sweet smelling butter and milk by the lot for twenty thousand years during the life time of the Buddha Kassapa. Hence such pure milk food containing butter and powder of lotus-honey appeared to him as nourishment. In this way Kondanna Mahathera dwelt near the Mandakini lake in the Chaddanta forest. When he reflected on his life process (ayu-sahkhara) he found that it was coming to an end. When he further reflected as to where he should decease, it occurred to him thus: "These eight thousand elephants who have served me for twelve years have done what is difficult to do. I am greatly thankful to them. I shall first go to the Exalted Buddha and seek his permission to pass into Parinibbana and shall do so in the meditation hut near these elephants." Having decided thus he travelled by air to the Veluvana monastery in Rajagaha and visited the Buddha. He bowed his head touching the feet of the Buddha and sucked them in his mouth; he also pressed them with his hand forcefully. He then mentioned his name in his supplication to the Buddha: "Glorious Buddha! Konndana I am, Speaker of good words? I am Kondanna."

(Herein the reason for Kondanna Thera's mention of his own name was this: at that time among the monks around the Buddha some elderly Thera knew him but younger ones did not. Therefore it occurred to the Mahathera: "The youthful monks who do not know me might offend me with the thought 'Who is this white-haired, bending, toothless and failing old monk? Who is he that is talking with the Exalted Buddha? Those young monks who wronged me might land in a woeful state. If I mention my name, those who previously did not know me will now realize who I am. Thus the two groups of monks—one older and aware of my name and the other younger and coming to know me now—will be pleased and faithful at the thought, "Ah, here is a Great Disciple Maha savaka) who has renounced like the Exalted Buddha throughout the system of ten thousand worlds and this would lead them to the realm of Devas. In order to close the road to the woeful states and open that to the Deva abodes for the beings, the Thera disclosed his name in his announcement to the Buddha.)

At that time, a thought arose in the mind of the Thera Vangisa thus:

"This Venerable Annasi Kondanna visited the Exalted One after twelve long years; he touched the feet of the Exalted One with his head and suck the feet with his mouth. And be also pressed them with his hand. Mentioning his name he also said, 'Glorious Buddha! Kondanna I am. Speaker of good words! I am Kondanna', What if I should sing appropriate verses in praise of the Thera in the presence of the Buddha." So he rose from his seat, adjusted his robe so that it covered his left shoulder, raised his joined hands towards the Buddha and addressed him thus: "Glorious Buddha, these clear verses (patibhana gatha) came into my head! Speaker of good words, these clear verses came into my head!"

Thereupon the Buddha granted his permission, saying: "Dear son Vangisa, you may have clear verses in your bead as you wish."

Accordingiy, Vangisa Thera sang appropriate verses in praise of the Venerable Kondanna Thera in the presence of the Buddha as follows:

1. Buddha'nu buddho so thero

kondanno tibbanikkamo

Labhi sukha-viharanam

vivekanam abhinhaso.

"That Thera who is known by his clan name Kondanna and who has visited the supremely glorious Buddha is distinguished as Buddhanu'buddha, for he is the first who understood the four profound Truths, having contemplated intelligently after the Buddha. He is endowed with unique, forceful energy of right exertions. He achieves without interruptions the three forms of seclusion, the means of blissful living"

2. Yam savakena paitabbam

satthu sasana karina

Sabbassa tam anuppattam,

appamattassa sikkhato.

"The Sangha of noble disciples who follow the Buddha's exhortation should attain the four Paths., the four Fruitions, the Analytical Knowledge etc. through their wisdom. That top personality of glory, the Venerable Kondanna Mahathera, attained them all—the Paths, the Fruitions, the Anaytical Knowledge etc. ahead of several other disciples as smoothly supported by necessary facilities, for he has possessed mindfulness and practised assiduously in the threefold training."

3. Mahanubhavo tevijjo

ceto pariyaya kovido

Kondanno buddhadayado

pade vandati satthuno.

"The Mahathera who is known by his clan name Kondanna, who is highly powerful, who clearly possesses the threefold Knowledge of pu, di and a, who is the owner of cetopariya abhinna as be knows all the mental activities, who has inherited first and foremost the nine supramundane legacy of the Buddha, has respectfully paid homage at the Buddha's lotus feet by touching them with his head, sucking them (in his mouth), and gripping them with his hands indeed."

By the time these verses had been sung, silence reigned in the assembly. Knowing of' the silence, Kondanna Thera exchanged a few words with the Buddha and asked for permission: "Exalted Buddha, my life process has come to an end. I am going to pass into Parinibbana."

"Where will you pass into Parinibbana, my dear son Kondanna?' questioned the Buddha. The Thera replied: "Glorious Buddha the elephants who served me for twelve years have done something that is difficult to do. Therefore I shall pass into Parinibbana somewhere around the elephants by the lake in the Chaddanta forest." The Buddha granted his permission by keeping silent.

(Herein when Kondanna Thera requested permission to attain Parinibbana if he were not to grant permission it might tantamount that the Thera took delight in the round of suffering in the three worlds which he himself had taught to be something sickening. On the other hand if he were to grant permission, it might mean that the Buddha encouraged him to die. In order to avoid these two ends therefore the Buddha, following the neutral way, asked Where would you pass into Parinibbana?")

Thereupon the Venerable Mahathera made obeisance to the Buddha and spoke: "Exalted Buddha, formerly when you were practising dukkara-cariya we visited you for the first time to attend to you. In other words, my first obeisance took place in the Deer Park. Now this is my last !" While many people were lamenting, the Thera paid homage to the Buddha, came out from his presence and, standing at the doorway, admonished the people: "Do not be sad! Do not lament! There is none among those conditioned, be they Buddha or Disciples, who will not come to destruction." While the people were looking on him, the Thera went up to the sky and descended near the lake in the Chaddanta forest, where be bathed. Thereafter he put on the robe properly, put away his bedding and spent the three watches of the night engaging in meditation of Phala-samapatti. (He was absorbed in the Phala-samapatti for the whole night.) Just before morning came with its very brilliant light, the Mahathera entered the Anupadisesa Parinibbana.

No sooner had the Thera entered Parinibbana than all the trees in the Himavanta burst open with flowers and fruit both top and bottom and they bent down as well. The elephant whose turn it was to serve the Buddha performed his usual duties early by placing water for washing the face and tooth-brush made of twigs and stood at the end of the wall without knowing the Theras Parinibbana. Not seeing the Thera coming though he had waited till sunrise, the elephant began to wonder: "The noble Thera used to take an early walk and used to wash his face. But now he has not come out from his dwelling even at sunrise. What could be the reason For this?" So he opened the door of the dwelling wide enough to see into it, he saw the Thera sitting. He stretched out his trunk to investigate whether there was in-breath or out-breath and he came to know there was neither. Then coming to know that the Mahathera had entered Parinibbana, he put his trunk in his mouth and trumpeted aloud. The sound of his trumpet echoed all over the Himavanta.

The elephants held a discourse in unity. The Thera's body was put on the largest elephant. The others surrounded him, each carrying branches that had fully blossomed. After repeatedly going around the Himavanta and paying homage, they conveyed the remains to the lake in the Chaddanta forest.

Then Sakka summoned the Deva Visukamma and gave him an order:

"Dear Visukamma! Our elder brother, the Venerable Kondanna, has passed into Parinibbana. Let us do homage to him. Create a coffin measuring nine yojanas and adorn it with a pinnacle!" Visukamma created as he had been asked. The remains of the Thera was put in the coffin and returned to the elephants.

Carrying the coffin together and repeatedly moving around the whole Himavanta measuring three thousand yojanas the elephants paid homage. From the elephants the coffin was taken by Devas of the sky who performed funeral rites. Thereafter the coffin was taken by Devas of rain-clouds, Devas of cold-clouds, and Devas of hot-cloud, Catu maharaja Devas, Tavatimsa Devas and so on. In this way the pinnacled coffin containing the Thera's body reached up to the realm of Brahmas. Again the Brahmas handed it over to the Devas and in this way the coffin got back to the elephants.

Each Deva or Brahma brought two sandalwood pieces, each being about the breadth of four fingers. The pile of such sandalwood pieces was nine yojanas high. Upon the pile of sandalwood was put the coffin carrying the Thera's body. Five hundred monks came travelling through the air and recited the Dhamma throughout the night. The Mahathera Anuruddha gave a sermon in the Assembly. Many Devas realized the four Truths and were released [from samsara ] thereby.

The night saw the burning of the remains. On the following morning at dawn the pile of burning fragrant wood was extinguished and the monks filled the water-filter with the relics as white as jasmine buds and brought and handed it over to the Buddha who was readily waiting and welcoming at the doorway of the Veluvana monastery.

Growth of a cetiya out of the earth

Holding the filter containing the relics, the Buddha delivered a discourse befitting that occasion and causing religious emotion [in the minds of those present], after which be stretched out his hand towards the earth. Instantly, a colossal cetiya resembling a huge silver bubble emerged penetrating the real earth. The Buddha enshrined the relics of the Mahathera Kondanna with his hands in that cetiya. It is said that the cetiya exists even today.

This is the story of Kondanna Mahathera.