Maha Buddhavamsa - The Attainment of Buddhahood

Maha Buddhavamsa
The Great Chronicle of The Buddhas
by Tipitakadhara Mingun Sayadaw

Edited and Translated by
U Ko Lay and U Tin Lwin

Chapter Seven

The Attainment of Buddhahood

Changing the mode or practice

      After the Bodhisatta had completed the austerity practices, dukkaracariya, for six years, as has been stated before, it was about the first waxing of Vesakha (April-May) following the month of Citta (March-April) of the year 103 Maha Era. At that time it occurred to the Bodhisatta thus:
      "The Samanas and Brahmanas of the past in their practice of austerities could have gone through only this much of pain and hardship at the most; they could not have gone through more hardship than what I am now enduring. The Samanas and Brahmanas of the future in their practice of austerities will go through only this much of pain and hardship at the most; they will not go through more hardship than what I am now enduring. The Samanas and Brahmans of the present day also in their practice of austerities may go through only this much of pain and hardship at the most; they cannot go through more hardship than what I am now enduring. (What hardship I have endured will not be less, but may oven be more, than the pain and suffering undergone by the Samanas and Brahmanas of the past, the future and the present. I have striven and practised the austerities strenuously for as long as, six years). Although I have exerted so strenuously in this manner, I have not attained Enlightenment, Sabbannuta Nana; I have not realized Buddhahood. There may perhaps be another mode of practice, another path, to attain Enlightenment, Sabbannuta Nana; to realize Buddhahood."
      Keeping on reflecting thus, he came to perceive that he had developed and entered upon the First Jhana of Anapana while sitting under the shade of the rose apple (Eugenia) tree at the time of the auspicious 'Ploughing Ceremony' performed by his father king Suddhodana. He recognised then that the practice of the First Jhana of Anapana must certainly be the true path, the correct mode of practice for the attainment of Sabbannuta Nana, realization of the Buddhahood. He further reflected: "Why should I be afraid of the Jhanic bliss realizable from the Anapana Concentration Meditation; it is the bliss that arises purely from renunciation (nekkhamma) and entirely detached from the desires for material objects and sensual pleasures. I am certainly not afraid of the Jhanic bliss of the Anapana Concentration Meditation."
      Then again, he continued to reflect: "I may not be able to exert and develop the said Anapana Concentration Meditation with this body of mine which is so much exhausted and withered. It will be well if I take some solid, coarse food such as boiled rice to resuscitate and freshen this emaciated body before I endeavour to attain the said Jhana through Anapana Concentration Meditation.
      Having considered thus, the Bodhisatta took the alms-bowl from where he had laid aside, went round the market town of Sena for alms-food and sustained his withered, emaciated body with whatever food he received on his alms-round. Within two or three days, he regained strength and the major physical characteristics of a Great man (Mahapurisa Lakkhanas) which had disappeared at the time of strenuous practice of dukkaracariya reappeared distinctly in their original forms. At that time the physical body of the Bodhisatta fresh in yellow like the colour of gold.
      (Here, it should be specially noted that at the time the Bodhisatta reflected on the correct path for realization of Omniscience, for attainment of Buddhahood, after discarding the practice of dukkaracariya, he correctly considered that the eight mundane attainments of Jhana that he achieved after meeting the Sect-leaders Alara and Udaka were just the basis of the round of suffering (vattapadaka); he also considered that the Anapana Concentration which was developed in the shade of the rose apple tree while his father King Suddhodana was performing the auspicious Ploughing Ceremony was the correct path for the realization of Omniscience, for the attainment of Buddhahood since the Anapana Concentration was part of Mindfulness Meditation of the body, (Kayagatasati), and the basis of Insight Meditation, (Vipassana for all Bodhisattas. Mulapannasa Tika Vol I.)

The abandoning of the Bodhisatta by his attendants, the Group of Five Bhikkhus (pancavaggi)

      It is a natural course of event, (dhammata), that when a Bodhisatta is about to attain Buddhahood after having completed the practice of dukkaracariya, either the attendant bhikkhus abandon him for some reason or the other or he himself leaves them behind. This being so, when the Bodhisatta began to sustain his body by taking whatever coarse food of rice he received on his alms round, the said group of Five Bhikkhus became disgusted with him, grumbling, "The Bhikkhu Gotama has become one who practises for the gain of material wealth; he has become one who has abandoned the practice of meditation, and reverted to the material accumulation". Following the natural course of events they abandoned the Bodhisacta and wended their way to Isipatana, the Deer Park, near Varanasi where the First Sermon, the Wheel of Dhamma, is delivered by all the Buddhas. (It is a natural rule for the attendant bhikkhus to abandon the Bodhisattas who are about to attain Buddhahood and to proceed to the Deer Park where every Buddha will deliver without fail the First Sermon of Dhammacakka.)
      The Group of Five Bhikkhus left the Bodhisatta about the newmoon day of Citta and moved to Migadaya, the Deer Park. (It was in fact the time when the Bodhisatta had completed the practice of dukkaracariya) When the attendant bhikkhus had abandoned him, the Bodhisatta living a solitary life, gained a considerable degree of solitude which was conducive to extraordinary progress and strengthening of his mental concentration. Thus living in complete seclusion for fifteen days, practising meditation and making progress in it, the noble, Bodhisatta dreamed five Great Dreams after midnight, just approaching dawn on the fourteenth waxing day of the month of Vesakha.

The story of the Devas showing wrong visions in the dream out of anger

     At the monastery of Naga in Rohana locality in Sihala island the presiding monk, ordered a large ironwood tree to be cut down without informing the Sangha. The Rukkha Deva (the tree spirit) who had his abode on the said ironwood tree, gave correct dreams to the said presiding monk in the first instance in order to trick him into believing them. After winning the monk's trust, the Deva told him in a dream: "On the seventh day from today, Venerable Sir, your lay supporter the king, will die." The presiding monk, believing these words, informed the female palace attendants accordingly. Thereupon, they wept loudly in unison; when asked by the king they told him what the presiding monk had said. With the king counting the days, the seven days had passed and the king, who was still alive, ordered the limbs of the presiding monk to be cut off (for causing panic by giving out wrong information). (This story is mentioned in Volume II of the Sarattha Dipani Tika).
      The said four kinds of dream are dreamed only by the worldlings the Sotapannas, the Sakadagamis and the Anagamis, because they have not divested themselves of hallucination (vipallasa)*; Arahats who have discarded the vipallasa do not dream such dreams.
      As regards the time the dreams dreamt in the day time in the first watch, the middle watch, the last watch of the night are usually not correct; those dreamt at day break when the food eaten has been digested and the resulting nutrients are absorbed by the body, are apt to be correct. A dream conveying a good omen usually brings good fortune; whereas one with bad omen usually brings ill luck. These notes are extracts from expositions on the Mahasupina Sutta in Brahmana Vagga, Catutthapannasaka, Pancaka Nipata of the Anguttara Commentary.

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      *Vipallasa: P.E.D. renders it as reversion, change, perversion, derangement, corruption, distortion, In the translation of Maha Thera Ledi Sayadaw's Vipassana Dipani, Sayadaw U Nyana renders it:
      'Vipallasa means hallucination, delusion, erroneous observation, or taking that which is true as being false, and that which is false as true. There are three kinds of Vipallasa, to wit: 1. Sanna Vipallasa: hallucination of perception, 2. Citta vipallasa: hallucination of thought, 3. Ditthi-vipallasa: hallucination of views. Of these three, hallucination of perception is fourfold, thus;

     (i) It erroneously perceives impermanence as permanence;
     (ii) Impurity as purity;
     (iii) Ill as good; and
     (iv) No-soul as Soul.

      The same holds good with regard to the remaining two vipallasa, i.e., those of thinking and viewing.

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      The aforesaid Five Great Dreams are not dreamed by worldlings, nor by kings, nor by Universal Monarch, nor by Chief Disciples, nor by Paccekabuddhas, nor by Omniscient Buddhas. Only the Bodhisattas dream such dreams. Our Bodhisatta dreamed the said Five Great Dreams after midnight just before day break, on the 14th waxing day of Vesakha in the year 103 Maha Era.

The Interpretation of the Five Great Dreams by the Bodhisatta himself

      The Bodhisatta, rising from his sleep and sitting cross-legged after having dreamed these Five Great Dreams thought to himself thus: "Had I dreamed these Five Great Dreams at the time when I was living in the royal city of Kapilavatthu, I could have related them to my father King Suddhodana; I could have related them also to my mother if she were alive. But now, in Uruvela forest, there is no one to listen to these Five Great Dreams and interpret them for me. I myself will read these omens. And then, he himself read the dreams thus: This first dream presages the attainment of such and such a benefit; this second dream such and such a benefit" and so on as has been said above.