Dhammapada Commentary - Buddha Vagga

Dhammapada Commentary ( Dhammapada Atthakatha )

Edited by
Bhikkhu Pesala


14 — Buddha Vagga
The Buddha
The Buddha Cannot Be Fathomed
1. Yassa jitaṃ n’āvajīyati,
jitaṃ yassa1 no yāti koci loke
Taṃ Buddham anantagocaraṃ,
apadaṃ kena padena nessatha.179
2. Yassa jālinī visattikā,
taṇhā natthi kuhiñci netave
Taṃ Buddham anantagocaraṃ,
apadaṃ kena padena nessatha.180
1. Whose victory is not turned into defeat, no conquered (passion) of his in
this world follows him — that trackless Buddha of infinite range, by
which way will you lead him?
2. Him in whom there is not that entangling, embroiling craving to lead (to
any life), him the trackless Buddha of infinite range — by which way
will you lead him?
The Daughters of Māra
The Brahmin Māgaṇḍiya living in the country of Kuru had a beautiful
daughter named Māgaṇḍiyā. Many wealthy Brahmins wanted her as a wife, but
Māgaṇḍiya rejected them all, thinking them not good enough for his daughter.
One day, on seeing that Māgaṇḍiyā and his wife would benefit, the Buddha took
his robes and almsbowl and went to the place outside the village where the
Brahmin worshipped the sacred fire. On seeing the Buddha, Māgaṇḍiya thought,
“This man is good enough for my daughter.” He told the Buddha about his
beautiful daughter and offered to give her as his wife, asking him to wait there
while he went to fetch her. The Buddha said nothing, but left his footprint and
went to stand somewhere else. Māgaṇḍiya returned with his wife and daughter,
followed by many people. Māgaṇḍiya’s wife read the footprint and said that it was

1
jitamassa


the footprint of someone free from passion. Māgaṇḍiya told his wife that she
“saw crocodiles even in a drop of water,” and added that the Buddha had already
accepted his proposal. She repeated her claim, but he told her to be silent. On
seeing the Buddha, the Brahmin approached him and offered his daughter to
him. Without saying, “I have no need of your daughter,” the Buddha asked
Māgaṇḍiya to listen to what he had to say, and he consented.
The Buddha related the story of his renunciation, his six years of struggle
with ascetic practices, his enlightenment at the foot of the Bodhi tree, and the
attempt to seduce him by the three daughters of Māra.
1 They promised to be his
slaves, but he said nothing and did not even look at them. They then tried
manifesting in the guise of women of different ages and appearances, but to no
avail. When the Buddha uttered the above two verses the daughters of Māra
vanished.
The Buddha concluded by saying to Māgaṇḍiya, “Formerly, I had no sexual
desire even for the pure bodies of those celestial women. Your daughter’s body is
like a vessel full of thirty-two impure things, painted beautifully on the outside. I
would not touch it even with my foot.” Hearing this discourse, Māgaṇḍiya and his
wife both gained Non-returning.2

1
They were named “Craving,” “Discontent,” and “Lust” and tried to seduce the Buddha in
the fifth week after his enlightenment while he was seated at the root of the
Ajapālanigrodha tree. Some say that these are inner conflicts, but in my view they were
deities of the Paranimmitavasavatī Devaloka where Māra resides. If the former, then how
could we explain why the Buddha had thoughts of craving, discontent, or lust after his
enlightenment? Māra tried to obstruct the Buddha throughout his life, both before and
after his enlightenment.
It is only natural for those addicted to sensual pleasures to oppose those who are not,
and who recommend renunciation. Those who have renounced pleasures may still have
some lingering desires and doubts, but those who have eradicated all desire would have
no doubt that being free from craving was blissful, and they would have no trace of
hankering.
2
Māgaṇḍiya’s daughter Māgaṇḍiyā, however, conceived a grudge against the Buddha and
later plotted to murder Sāmāvatī, who was a devout disciple of the Buddha. See the
commentary to vv.21-24.


Buddhas Are Dear to All
3. Ye jhānapasutā dhīrā, nekkhammūpasame ratā
Devā’pi tesaṃ pihayanti, sambuddhānaṃ satīmataṃ.181
3. The wise ones who are intent on meditation, who delight in the peace of
renunciation, such mindful Fully Enlightened Buddhas even the gods hold
dear.
The Sandalwood Almsbowl
A millionaire of Rājagaha found a large piece of red sandalwood while
bathing in the Ganges, and had it made into an almsbowl. Then he had it set up
on strings between bamboo towers over his house and challenged any recluses to
take it down with their psychic powers. The heretics, who had no powers,
pretended that they were too modest to exhibit their powers, and tried various
schemes to get it given to them. After a week, the Elders Moggallāna and
Piṇḍolabhāradvāja overheard some gamblers talking about the bowl and saying
that there were no Arahants in the world. Piṇḍolabhāradvāja urged Moggallāna to
take it down. Moggallāna told Piṇḍolabhāradvāja to take it, so the elder used his
powers to lift the thirty-mile-wide flat rock to cover the entire city of Rājagaha.
The people were terrified, so the elder split the rock with his toe, set it back in its
rightful place, then descended onto the roof of the millionaire’s house. The man
paid homage, had the bowl fetched, and offered almsfood. The Elder returned
with the bowl to the monastery. The people pestered him to perform miracles so
that there was an uproar at the monastery.
The Buddha asked the Elder Ānanda the reason, and then summoned the
Elder Piṇḍolabhāradvāja. The Buddha rebuked the Elder Piṇḍolabhāradvāja
severely1 for exhibiting his powers, had the bowl broken up and pounded into
paste, then laid down a training rule prohibiting monks from displaying their
powers. Hearing of this, the heretics made the most of it, saying that henceforth
they would only exhibit their powers together with the Buddha.
King Bimbisāra told the Buddha about this, and the Buddha said that he had
laid down the rule for his disciples, not for himself. He promised to perform a
miracle in four months’ time at Sāvatthī on the full moon day of Āsāḷhī. The

1
Since Piṇḍolabhāradvāja was an Arahant, one assumes that the very severe reprimand
given to the elder was directed at those like Devadatta who would come afterwards, and
who might perform psychic feats for less noble motives.


heretics knew that they were lost, but followed the Buddha to Sāvatthī saying that
he was trying to run away from them.
In due course the Teacher arrived at Sāvatthī. The heretics collected money
and built a pavilion where they said they would perform miracles. King Pasenadi
approached the Blessed One and offered to make him a pavilion The Buddha
declined, saying that Sakka would make him a pavilion On being asked where he
would perform a miracle the Buddha said that he would do it at the foot of the
Kaṇḍa mango tree. The heretics had every mango tree for miles around
uprooted.
On the day of the full moon the Teacher walked for alms, and Kaṇḍa the
king’s gardener offered him a mango. The Elder Ānanda made a mango drink for
the Teacher, and after his meal the Teacher asked Kaṇḍa to plant the mango seed
right there. When the teacher washed his hand and poured the rinsing water onto
that spot, a mango tree fifty cubits high sprang up right away fully laden with
fruit. The monks ate their fill, and other men came to enjoy the fruit, throwing
some at the heretics, blaming them for destroying all the mango trees in the
district. Then Sakka ordered the wind god to blow, scattering the heretics’
pavilion, covering them with dust until they looked like red ants, and they fled in
all directions. Purāṇa Kassapa committed suicide by drowning himself in the river
and was reborn in Avīci hell.
Sakka created a jewelled walking path in the sky stretching from the eastern
horizon to the western horizon. By the time that the shadows of evening had
lengthened, a huge crowd had assembled. The Teacher came out of his perfumed
chamber and stood on the terrace. Then Gharaṇī, a female lay disciple, asked
permission to perform a miracle, but the Teacher declined her offer. Other lay
disciples, novices, nuns, and monks did likewise, up to the Elder Moggallāna, but
the Teacher, after acknowledging their ability, declined all of their offers saying
that this basket of flowers was prepared only for him, and that no one else could
bear this burden. Then the Teacher stepped onto the jewelled walking path and,
pacing up and down, performed the Twin Miracle, emitting streams of fire and
water simultaneously from each pore of his body. Then as he paced up and down
he taught the Dhamma to the assembly, and seeing no one able to ask suitable
questions, he created a double to ask questions to which he replied. Two hundred
million in the vast crowd gained Stream-winning on that occasion. Then the
Buddha reflected on what previous Buddhas had done after performing the Twin


Miracle, and seeing that they had all ascended to Tāvatiṃsa to teach the
Abhidhamma, he did the same.
Teaching the Abhidhamma
The Buddha went to the Tāvatiṃsa heaven to expound the Abhidhamma to
the devas. His mother, who was reborn as a deva in Tusita heaven, came there to
listen to the Abhidhamma. Each day, the Elder Sāriputta related what he had
taught to the audience at the Jetavana monastery. At the end of three months
when the Buddha returned to earth accompanied by the devas, the Elder Sāriputta
remarked that even the devas seek the guidance of the Buddha. Thereupon the
Buddha uttered the above verse.
The Good Are Rare
4. Kiccho manussapaṭilābho,
kicchaṃ macchāna jīvitaṃ
Kicchaṃ saddhammasavanaṃ,
kiccho buddhānaṃ uppādo.182
4. Rare is birth as a human being. Hard is the life of mortals. Hard is the
hearing of the Sublime Truth. Rare is the appearance of the Buddhas.
Erakapatta Nāga
During the time of the Buddha Kassapa, while travelling in a boat, a monk
grasped a leaf of an Eraka plant and broke it off. Thinking it to be an
insignificant offence, he failed to confess it. When he died he was reborn as a
Nāga in the middle of the Ganges, where he remained until the time of the
Buddha Gotama. Every fortnight on the Uposatha day, he had his daughter sing
the following verse, promising great wealth to anyone who could answer it
satisfactorily:
What kind of king is a ruler?
Who is ruled by passion?
How is one free from passion.
Who is called a fool?
In this way he hoped to learn when a Buddha had arisen in the world. One
day, the Buddha saw that a Brahmin youth named Uttara would benefit by
answering the Nāga’s verse so he went and sat under a tree nearby. On his way to


see the Nāga, the youth met the Buddha, who taught him the following verse to
use in reply.
One who masters his six senses is a ruler.
One who delights in them is ruled by passion.
One who takes no delight in them is free from passion.
One who takes delight in them is called a fool.
Uttara gained Stream-winning on hearing this verse, and though he no
longer wanted to win the Nāga princess, he continued on his way to the river
where thousands of people gathered every fortnight in the hope of winning the
princess as their bride.
When Uttara replied to the princess’s song the Nāga king knew that a Buddha
had arisen in the world and, full of joy, accompanied the youth to visit the
Buddha. He stood there weeping, and on being asked the reason, told the story of
his past life as a monk. In reply, the Buddha stated that human rebirth was
difficult to obtain, and he recited the above verse.
The Teaching of the Buddhas
5. Sabbapāpassa akaraṇaṃ, kusalassa upasampadā
Sacittapariyodapanaṃ, etaṃ buddhāna sāsanaṃ.183
6. Khantī paramaṃ tapo titikkhā,
nibbānaṃ paramaṃ vadanti buddhā.
Na1 pabbajito parūpaghātī,
samaṇo hoti paraṃ viheṭhayanto.184
7. Anūpavādo anūpaghāto, pātimokkhe ca saṃvaro
Mattaññutā ca bhattasmiṃ, pantañca sayanāsanaṃ
Adhicitte ca āyogo, etaṃ buddhāna sāsanaṃ.185
5. Not to do any evil, to cultivate good, to purify one’s mind,
this is the teaching of the Buddhas.
6. Forbearing patience is the highest austerity. Nibbāna is supreme, say the
Buddhas. He is not a recluse who harms another. Nor is he an ascetic
who oppresses others.

1
Na hi


7. Not insulting, not harming, restraint according to the Pāṭimokkha,
moderation in food, secluded abode, intent on higher thoughts — this is
the teaching of the Buddhas.
A Question From the Elder Ānanda
While meditating one day the Elder Ānanda reflected, “The Teacher has told
us about the seven Buddhas: about their mothers and fathers, their lifespan, their
trees of enlightenment, their disciples, their chief disciples, and their chief
supporters, but he has not told us how the spent the Uposatha day. I wonder if
their way of observing the Uposatha was the same or different?” So he
approached the Teacher and asked him.
The Buddha replied that the Buddha Vipassī observed the Uposatha every
seven years, that the Buddhas Sikhī and Vessabhū observed it every six years, that
the Buddhas Kakusandha and Koṇāgamana observed it every year, and the
Buddha Kassapa every six months. However, each of them recited the same three
verses in admonition.
Insatiate Are Sensual Pleasures
8. Na kahāpaṇavassena, titti kāmesu vijjati
Appassādā dukhā kāmā, iti viññāya paṇḍito.186
9. Api dibbesu kāmesu, ratiṃ so n’ ādhigacchati.
Taṇhakkhayarato hoti, sammāsambuddhasāvako.187
8-9. Not by a shower of gold coins does contentment arise in sensual
pleasures. Of little sweetness and painful, are sensual pleasures. Knowing
thus, the wise man finds no delight even in heavenly pleasures. The
disciple of the Fully Enlightened One delights in the destruction of
craving.
A Discontented Monk
As the father of a certain monk lay dying he longed to see his son, but was
unable to contact him. He left a hundred gold coins with his younger son for the
monk. When the monk learnt that his father had died, and left him some money,
he said that he had no need of it. However, after some time he became
discontented with walking for alms, and thought to disrobe to live on the money
that his father had left. The monks told his preceptor about this and his preceptor
told the Buddha. The Buddha summoned the monk and asked him to fetch a


hundred pots. Then he told him to set aside fifty for food and drink, twenty-four
for a pair of bullocks, another twenty-four for seed, one for a spade, a machete,
an axe, etc. Counting like this it became clear that a hundred would not be
sufficient. Then the Buddha told the monk that a hundred gold coins was very
little, and that he couldn’t hope to satisfy his desires. In the past Universal
monarchs with fabulous wealth had been unable to satisfy their desires and died
with their wishes unfulfilled. Then, on being asked to relate the story of the past,
the Buddha told the Mandhātu Jātaka (Jā. 258). On the conclusion of the disourse
the monk attained Stream-winning.
Seek Refuge in the Triple Gem
10. Bahuṃ1 ve saraṇaṃ yanti pabbatāni vanāni ca
Ārāmarukkhacetyāni, manussā bhayatajjitā.188
11. N’etaṃ kho saraṇaṃ khemaṃ, n’etaṃ saraṇam uttamaṃ
N’etaṃ saraṇam āgamma, sabbadukkhā pamuccati.189
12. Yo ca buddhañca dhammañca, saṅghañca saraṇaṃ gato
Cattāri ariyasaccāni, sammappaññāya passati.190
13. Dukkhaṃ dukkhasamuppādaṃ,
dukkhassa ca atikkamaṃ
Ariyaṃ caṭṭhaṅgikaṃ maggaṃ,
dukkhūpasamagāminaṃ.191
14. Etaṃ kho saraṇaṃ khemaṃ, etaṃ saraṇam uttamaṃ
Etaṃ saraṇam āgamma, sabbadukkhā pamuccati.192
10. Men flee to many refuges stricken by fear —
to hills, woods, groves, trees, and shrines.
11. No such refuge is safe, no such refuge is supreme.
Not by resorting to such a refuge is one freed from all ill.

1
Bahū


12-14. He who has gone for refuge to the Buddha, the Dhamma, and the
Saṅgha, sees with right knowledge the four Noble Truths — Sorrow, the
Cause of Sorrow, the Transcending of Sorrow, and the Noble Eightfold
Path which leads to the Cessation of Sorrow. This is a secure refuge. This
is the supreme refuge. By seeking such a refuge one is released from all
sorrow.
The Brahmin Aggidatta
Aggidatta was the head priest of King Mahākosala, the father of King
Pasenadi. When Mahākosala died, King Pasenadi appointed him as the head priest
again, but feeling uncomfortable due to the age difference, he sought permission
to become a recluse. He left for the border regions with many disciples. He
taught his disciples to take a jar of sand from the river whenever they had
unwholesome thoughts, and to empty the jar in the hermitage. After a while, a
great mound of sand accumulated, and a powerful Nāga came to reside there.
Aggidatta taught his disciples to worship mountains, forests, and trees to gain
freedom from suffering.
One day, realising that Aggidatta and his disciples were ready to gain
Arahantship, the Buddha sent the Elder Moggallāna to visit them. The Elder
Moggallāna asked them for somewhere to stay for the night. At first Aggidatta
refused, but when the elder persisted he let him stay on the mound of sand.
During the night, the Elder battled with the Nāga, each sending forth flames to
subdue the other. The elder finally subdued the Nāga, who surrounded the elder
with his coils and protected him with his hood.
In the morning, the hermits came, expecting to find the elder lying dead.
They were awestruck that he had tamed the ferocious Nāga, who had brought
lavish offerings for the elder. Then the Buddha arrived, and the Elder Moggallāna
rose from his seat to worship him. The hermits were even more impressed that
Moggallāna was just a disciple of the Buddha. The Buddha asked Aggidatta what
he taught, and on being told, said that this was not the right way to gain
liberation from suffering. The Buddha spoke on the efficacy of the Three Refuges
for deliverance from suffering, and uttered the above verses. All of the hermits
gained Arahantship together with the psychic powers, and spontaneously gained
the monks’ requisites. When Aggidatta’s supporters arrived they wondered if the
Buddha had become his disciple. The Buddha asked Aggidatta to destroy the


doubts in the minds of his lay disciples. Aggidatta was only too pleased to do this
by displaying his psychic powers and paying homage to the Buddha.
The Noble Are Rare
15. Dullabho purisājañño, na so sabbattha jāyati
Yattha so jāyati dhīro, taṃ kulaṃ sukhamedhati.193
15. Hard to find is a man of great wisdom: such a man is not born
everywhere. Where such a wise man is born, that family thrives happily.
A Question From the Elder Ānanda
While meditating one day the Elder Ānanda reflected, “I wonder where noble
persons like the Buddha are born.” So he approached the Teacher and asked him.
The Buddha replied that they are born in the middle country of India, among
warrior or Brahmin families, and uttered the above verse.
The Best Kind of Happiness
16. Sukho buddhānaṃ uppādo, sukhā saddhammadesanā
Sukhā saṅghassa sāmaggi, samaggānaṃ tapo sukho.194
16. Happy is the birth of Buddhas. Happy is the teaching of the sublime
Dhamma. Happy is the unity of the Saṅgha. Happy is the discipline of the
united ones.
A Story of Many Monks
Five hundred monks who had gathered in the dining hall were discussing
happiness. Some said that there was no happiness like ruling, others that sexual
pleasures were the best, while others said that that the pleasure of eating was
best. The Buddha came there and asked what they were talking about. On being
told, the Buddha said that these kinds of happiness did not get one free from
suffering. The best happiness was the arising of a Buddha, learning the Dhamma,
the unity of the Saṅgha, and the discipline of those living in harmony. Then the
Buddha uttered the above verse.
Honour the Worthy
17. Pūjārahe pūjayato, Buddhe yadi va sāvake
Papañcasamatikkante, tiṇṇasokapariddave.195


18. Te tādise pūjayato, nibbute akutobhaye
Na sakkā puññaṃ saṅkhātuṃ, im’ettam’iti kenaci.196
17-18. He who reverences those worthy of reverence, whether Buddhas or their
disciples; those who have overcome the impediments and have got rid of
grief and lamentation — the merit of him who reverences such peaceful
and fearless Ones cannot be measured by anyone as such and such.
The Golden Pagoda of Buddha Kassapa
The Buddha left Sāvatthī and set out for Benares, travelling by stages with a
large following of monks. On arrive at a shrine near the village of Toddeyya he
stopped to rest a while. The Buddha told the Venerable Ānanda to summon a
brahmin who was farming nearby. The Brahmin came and worshipped at the
shrine. The Buddha praised him. To allay the doubts of the monks he told the
story of Buddha Kassapa from the Ghaṭīkara Sutta (Majjhimanikāya, Sutta 81). In
conclusion, he told the Brahmin that four individuals were worthy of a stūpa (as
in the Mahāparinibbāna Sutta: a world-ruling monarch, an Arahant, a Solitary
Buddha, and a Fully Enlightened Buddha), adding that there are three kinds of
cetiya: one containing bodily remains (sarīra-cetiya), one indicating by signs1
(uddissa-cetiya), and one containing requisites used by a worthy one (paribhoga-
cetiya). The Buddha created a golden cetiya in the sky, which remained for seven
days, and then became a stone cetiya on the ground.

1
This supports the practice of worshipping Buddha images, although none are known to
have been made in the early years of Buddhism. The Ānanda Bodhi tree, which was a
sapling from the original Bodhi tree, was brought to Sāvatthī by the Elder Ānanda on the
instructions of the Buddha, for the benefit of disciples who wanted some way to honour
the Buddha in his absence. This is an example of an uddissa-cetiya, as is any Bodhi tree or
even a leaf. The original Bodhi tree is a paribhoga-cetiya, as it was used by the Buddha
himself.