THE LIFE OF THE BUDDHA
Ministry of Religious
Affairs, Myanmar
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The Buddha's Visit to Rajagaha
King Bimbisara's Five Aspirations
According to the promise that the Buddha
made to King Bimbisara in his early days of renunciation, the Buddha,
together with one thousand bhikkhus led by Kassapa brothers, went to
Rajagaha on the fullmoon day of Pyaso (December-January). When they
arrived at the large green Palmyra grove near Rajagaha, the King and one
hundred and twenty thousand people welcomed them heartily in great pomp
and ceremony.
When the Buddha narrated the Jataka story of
'Mahanarada - kassapa' there, King Bimbisara and one hundred and ten
thousand people became Stream - winners and the remaining ten thousand
people became established in the three Refuges.
King Bimbisara, who had now become a stream
- winner, felt very happy and said to the Buddha: 'Venerable Sir, I had
five kinds of aspirations when I was a young prince. They all are now
fulfilled and so I feel very happy."
The five kinds of aspirations of the King
were:
1. the wish to become an anointed king;
2. the wish that the Buddha would visit his
country;
3. the wish to revere and attend to the
Buddha when the latter visited his kingdom;
4. the wish that the Buddha would expound
the dhamma; and
5. the wish to understand the dhamma taught
to him.
The
Great Donation of Veluvana Monastery
Then King Bimbisara became a lay-disciple of
the Buddha and invited the Buddha and his one thousand bhikkhus for
alms-food at his palace the next morning. Then he went back to his palace.
Next morning when the Buddha went to the
palace to take alms-food, the crowd that came to pay homage to the Buddha
was so big that Sakka (the king of Devas) himself had to assume the form
of a young man and lead the way as a forerunner singing the Dhamma songs.
On reaching the palace, the King offered
alms-food to the Buddha and the Order of Sangha. He also donated the great
Veluvana Garden as a monastic dwelling. As he poured donation water the
earth quaked as if the main roots of Buddha's Teachings had been rooted.
Petas,
the old Relatives of King Bimbisara
That very night there were haunting sounds
all over the palace of King Bimbisara and so he could not sleep. Therefore
he went to the Buddha the next morning and told him what had happened.
The Buddha preached thus: 92 world cycles
ago, during the time of Phussa Buddha, Bimbisara and his relatives carried
out the duties of offering alms-food to the Buddha and his Sangha Order.
Those who did their duties well reached celestial abodes when they died.
Those who stole and destroyed the properties of the Sangha had gone to
niraya (hell) and became petas during the time of Kassapa Buddha. They saw
that other petas were set free from being petas because they gained merits
shared by their relatives when they had chances to say 'Sadhu". There were
none to share merits to the petas who were the former relatives of
Bimbisara. Therefore they supplicated to Kassapa Buddha that they did not
know who would perform meritorious deeds and share merits to them.
Kassapa Buddha told them that during the
time of Gotama Buddha, the supervisor of the old relative petas would
become King Bimbisara who would share merits to them and so they would be
free from their woeful lives of petas. And they were very happy with the
anticipation of being set free.
Indeed, when King Bimbisara offered
alms-food to the bhikkhus led by the Buddha and donated the monastery, the
petas were expecting anxiously to gain merits shared by the King. But the
king did not know to share merits with the petas of his relatives; so they
did their frightening moaning the whole night.
The Buddha instructed the king to share
merits to the dead or previous relatives when ever he performed
meritorious deeds. King Bimbisara then invited the bhikkhus led by the
Buddha to have alms-food at his palace on that day. The Buddha by his
supernormal power showed the king the petas who were waiting in poor
dresses with frightful appearances. After offering alms-food and sharing
merits, they all were free from their peta-existences. On seeing them
looking well attired and having ambrosia, he was very much pleased.
Then he offered robes, beddings and monastic
dwellings, and shared merits again. The petas said 'sadhu' and received
celestial clothings, beddings and celestial mansions. On seeing that, the
King became more pleased than before.
With reference to that incident the Buddha
preached Tirokutta Sutta and eighty-four thousand beings attained
Ariyahood, realizing the Four Noble Truths.
Upatissa,
Kolita and their Heretic Master
When the Buddha went to Rajagaha, the
heretic master Sanjaya had already established a school with a large
number of followers. He Was one of the six heretic masters who claimed
themselves to be Buddhas.
The two close friends, Upatissa and Kolita,
were the sons of rich brahmins. They went to the festival held annually on
the top of a mountain together with their five hundred followers. While
watching the performers and the audience, an idea flashed through their
mind thus, "What pleasure is there in the performance? All are bound to
death within one hundred years." They felt so apprehensive of death that
they went to the heretic Sanjaya and became ascetics.
Within a few days, they came to know that
there was no essence in the teachings of their master and his teaching
would not lead to the deliverance from suffering. Therefore they decided
to search for the way to deathlessness. They made a promise that the one
who found it first would tell the other.
The
Attraction of the Controlling Faculty
While the Buddha was in Rajagaha. the
Venerable Assaji Thera, one of the five-ascetic group, resided at the
Veluvana monastery. One day as he went into the city of Rajagaha for
alms-round, the ascetic Upatissa noticed his clear complexion and calm
controlling faculty. Upatissa could approximately judge that he might be
an arahat or an arahat-to-be who was working hard. He then followed the
Venerable Assaji Thera. After the Thera had alms-food, Upatissa asked him
about his teacher and his practice. Then the Venerable Assaji replied: "Of
things that proceed from a cause, Their cause the Tathagata has told; And
also their cessation: Thus teaches the Great Ascetic."
This verse sums up the profound philosophy
of his teacher in the scientific truth of the law of cause and effect. On
hearing the summary of the teachings, the ascetic Upatissa became a stream
- winner. According to his promise the ascetic Upatissa went to his friend
Kolita and explained the discourse that he had heard. The ascetic Kolita
also became a stream winner then and there. The two ascetics decided to go
to the Veluvana monastery and to be ordained as bhikkhus in the presence
of the Buddha.
The Two
Chief Disciples of The Buddha
Before going to the Buddha, they went · to
their heretic master and told him to come along with them. But their
master refused. They persuaded him three times to come along with · them,
saying "Sir, the Buddha has appeared in the world. The persons longing for
the Buddha will go and pay homage to the Buddha.
Don't let your life pass in vain." However,
the master replied," My disciples. I don't want to be a pupil after I have
been a well-known teacher; let it be; in this world there are more foolish
ones than wise ones; the wise will go to Gotama; but the foolish will come
to me." Saying thus he kept on staying there.
When the two disciples departed him, their
followers followed suit. He felt great despair for having lost many
disciples and vomited blood as he had a broken heart.
Half of the five hundred disciples that
followed Upatissa and Kolita felt so sad for their master that they came
back to him.
When the two ascetics asked for the
permission from the Buddha to be ordained as bhikkhus, the Buddha said,
"Come here, bhikkhus" They became bhikkhus simultaneously. Kolita became
an arahat after seven days of his arrival and Upatissa after fifteen days.
Upatissa became the right hand chief disciple under the name of Sariputta
who got the title of 'Etadagga'- "the Best One in Wisdom." Kolita became
the left-hand chief disciple under the name of Maha Moggallana who got the
title of 'Etadagga'- the Best One in Supernatural power.
The Very
First Congregation of the Sangha Order
On the fullmoon day of Tapotwe (about
February), 1250 Ehi bhikkhu arahats, who were endowed with the higher
psychic power, gathered together at the Veluvana monastery. That was the
very first Congregation of the Sangha Order. At this congregation the
Venerable Sariputta was conferred the position of the Right-hand Chief
Disciple of the Buddha and the Venerable Maha Moggallana, the Left-hand
Chief Disciple of the. Buddha. According to the tradition of the former
Buddhas the Buddha admonished the bhikkhus, reciting the three verses
beginning with "Khanti Paramam tapo titikka. etc." meaning: "The best
moral practice is patience and forbearance," in the assembly of the Sangha
Order.
The Buddha's Journey To Kapilavatthu
Sending the Ministers
The Buddha together with a great many of
bhikkhu disciples was residing at the Veluvana Monastery in Rajagaha. As
soon as the King Suddhodhana heard about that he sent a minister together
with one thousand attendants to invite the Buddha to Kapilavatthu.
When the king's heralds arrived there, the
Buddha was preaching the dhamma. They were listening to the dhamma behind
the audience. At the end of the discourse, they all became arahats.
Neither did they convey their message to the Buddha nor did they reply the
message to the King as they all were absorbed in the blissful peace of
Nibbana.
Not receiving any reply, the king sent
another minister with one thousand attendants. They also became arahats
like previous ones and made no effort to reply any message to the king. In
the same way. nine ministers and their attendants became arahats. Finally,
the king sent the most trustworthy minister, Kaludayi, and one thousand
attendants. He agreed to go on condition that he be allowed to enter the
Order of Sangha. The king gave them his consent.
Inviting
the Buddha
Kaludayi and his followers also became
arahats. He respectfully requested the Buddha to come and gratify his
father as well as his relatives.
It was the pleasant and peaceful month of
Tabaung (March): the weather was neither too cold nor too hot; withered
leaves fell from trees and leafy shoots sprang up, grains and crops had
just been harvested; roads were smooth and even and good for travel.
Colourful flowers were also blooming along the roads. Venerable Kaludayi
composed and uttered sixty four lyric verses describing the natural beauty
of the surroundings and requested the Buddha to go to Kapilavatthu.
On the first waning day of Tabaung, the
Buddha together with 20 thousand arahats left Rajagaha for Kapilavatthu.
The distance between these two countries was sixty yojanas (480 miles) and
they went one yojana a day. So it took them two months to reach
Kapilavatthu. Venerable Kaludayi made his journey in the air by his higher
psychic power and let the king know the Buddha's itinerary. On seeing him,
the King was very pleased and felt delighted.
The king offered alms-food to Venerable
Kaludayi. He said to the king: "The alms-food should be offered not only
to me but also to the Buddha." On hearing that the king felt more pleased
and delighted and offered alms food for the Buddha. Venerable Kaludayi,
informing the king where the Buddha and his disciples were, took the
alms-food offered by the king to the Buddha daily. On the first waning day
of Kason (May), the Buddha and his disciples arrived at Kapilavatthu.
Inviting
the Buddha to the Nigrodharama Monastery
King Suddhodhana and his relatives made
discussion to welcome the Buddha and his disciples. They decided that the
Prince Nigrodha's park was suitable for the Buddha and his disciples to
reside because it was of good shade, of enough water, tranquil and neither
too near nor too far from the city. The relatives, being well-dressed and
holding fragrant flowers, heartily welcomed the Buddha and his disciples.
They then invited them to the monastery in the Nigrodha park in a grand
ceremony.
Dispelling the Conceit of the Sakyan Princes
The Sakyan elders were reluctant to pay
homage to the Buddha who was of the age of their nephews and sons.
Therefore, they put the Sakyan children nearer to the Buddha and they
themselves sat at the back, without paying due respect to the Buddha
The Buddha created the great jewelled walk
in the sky to dispel the conceit of the Sakyan relatives and walked to and
fro so as to display the miraculous powers of the Buddhas. The devas and
brahmas from the ten thousand worlds came in mass and paid homage to the
Buddha. While walking, the brilliant rays of white colour were emitted
from the body of the Buddha. The rays were so brilliant that the whole
universe was illuminated splendidly. When the audience was beholding the
Buddha with great awe and veneration, the six hues such as the brown hues
from such parts of body as hair and eyebrow. the red hues from the red
parts of body such as lips, palms and sole, the yellow hues from the fair
complexion and the white hues from the white parts of body such as forty
teeth including four eyeteeth and so on, were emitted continuously.
While human beings, the devas and brahmas
were admiring the six hues in surprise, the Buddha repeatedly emanated the
twin miracles: the flow of water from his right eye and the blaze of flame
from the left. On seeing these miracles, the Sakyan elders became humble
and paid homage heartily to the Buddha Even though they paid homage again
and again, they were not fully satisfied yet.
Then the king Suddhodana told the Buddha
thus:
1. "Oh. Venerable Son! When I made you pay
homage to my teacher, Kaladevila recluse, on the very day when you were
born, your two feet flew aloft and rested on the recluse's head. When I
saw that I paid homage to you for the first time."
2. "On the day of the royal ploughing
ceremony, you were put to sleep in the shade of Eugenia. tree. Though the
time passed and the sun moved westward, the shade over you did not move at
all. I found you sitting in meditation on breathing and well absorbed in
the first jhanic bliss. When I saw that I paid homage to you for the
second time."
3. "Oh Venerable Son! Now I come to behold
your miraculous power which I have never seen before. And so I pay homage
to you for the third time."
Narration of the Chronicle of the Buddhas
While the Buddha was displaying various
kinds of miracles to his relatives, Venerable Sariputta was residing at
Mount Gijjhakuta near Rajagaha together with his five hundred disciples.
Venerable Sariputta observed, with his divine eye, the miracles displayed
by the Buddha.
At that moment a strong desire occurred in
his mind to request the Buddha to narrate his life story so that men,
devas and brahmas would understand how hard it was to become a Buddha, how
involved it was to fulfil the ten perfections and how great the Buddha's
power was. Then he went to the Buddha through space together with his five
hundred disciples.
He paid homage to the Buddha and requested
him to narrate the chronicle of the Buddhas. Complying to the request, the
Buddha narrated the chronicle of the Buddhas as he walked up and down in
the jewelled passage created in the sky. During the narration all the
twenty-thousand bhikkhus together with Venerable Sariputta and his
disciples remained in the sky near the Buddha listening respectfully to
the narration. At the end of the narration, ten million lakhs of devas and
brahmas became Arahats and countless numbers of people became
Stream-winners. Once-returners and No-returners.
After the discourse, the Buddha descended
from the jewelled passage and resided at the holy place of the Buddha
among his relatives. At that moment Pokkharavassa rain fell wetting only
those who wanted to be soaked. The audience was surprised and talked about
that amazing rain. In connection to this event, the Buddha narrated the
Jataka story of Vessantara.
Going
Alms-round in Kapilavatthu
All the relatives returned home after
hearing the discourse. Nobody invited the Buddha for alms-food in the next
morning. Although King Suddhodana made a plan to offer the Buddha
alms-food in his palace, he did not invite the Buddha. So in the next
morning, the Buddha together with his disciples went round the city for
collecting alms-food in the tradition of the former Buddhas. People looked
in amazement and venerated the Buddha who was surrounded with six kinds of
radiations emanating from his body. Yasodara, Rahula's mother, was
watching the Buddha from her chamber and she saw him begging for food from
house to house. So she was overwhelmed with grief. She also held her son
in her arms and pointed to the Buddha saying. "That is your father!"
Yasodara immediately went to the King and
informed him about the Buddha going on alms-round. The King quickly went
to the Buddha and told him that it was not proper for a royal prince to
beg for food from house to house. The Buddha said that it was the
traditional practice of all the former Buddhas to go on alms-round from
house to house for collecting alms-food. On hearing these words, the King
became a Stream-winner. Then he took the alms-bowl from the Buddha and
invited the Buddha and his disciples to the palace for alms-food.
All the royal relatives, except Yasodara,
gathered together. The Buddha, sitting on the well-prepared seat, preached
that the practice of collecting alms-food from house to house was the
right livelihood which brought great benefit in the present as well as in
future existences. On hearing this account, the king became a Sakadagami
(Once - returner) and the queen Mahapajapati Gotami became a Stream -
winner.
Going to
Yasodara's Chamber
After taking alms-food, the Buddha, followed
by Venerable Sariputta and Venerable Mahamoggallana, went to Yasodara's
Chamber. The king also followed them, carrying the Buddha's alms-bowl.
When Yasodara saw the Buddha coming, she told her attendants to wear
brown-coloured dress dyed with the barks of tree and to welcome and pay
homage to the Buddha. The Buddha sat on the well-prepared place and told
the King not to make any disturbance to Yasodara when she came to pay
homage to him. Coming swiftly out of her Chamber, she clasped his feet in
her hands, and placed her forehead on his instep. Then she could not utter
a word and paid homage heartily to the Buddha with tears. When the king
saw that scene, he became so emotional that he could not conceal the
virtues of Yasodhara and said to the Buddha:
"My Revered Son, when my daughter heard that
you were wearing the brown-coloured robe, she wore the same dress too.
When she heard that you were taking one meal a day. she also did the same.
When she heard that you did not use the luxurious beds, she slept only on
a couch made of flat ropes. When she heard that you avoided garlands and
scents, she did so. When her relatives sent messages to say that they
would maintain her, she did not even look at a single one and she lay all
her affection on you".
At the end of the King's words, the Buddha
narrated the story of Candakinnri Jataka in honour of Yasodara's great
affection and fidelity.
The
Ordination of Younger Brother and Son
On the third day of Buddha's arrival at
Kapilavatthu, there were three ceremonies in the same day: the wedding
ceremony of Prince Nanda and Janapadakalyani, the consecration ceremony
and the house warming ceremony. It was on the occasion of these three
ceremonies that the Buddha visited the palace and took alms-food. After
that the Buddha handed over his alms-bowl to the prince and gave the words
of blessing. Then he went back to the monastery without taking his
alms-bowl. The prince Nanda had to follow him carrying his alms bowl.
Janapadakalyani appealed to the prince:
"Please, come back quickly, my dear!" These
words made Prince Nanda deeply moved. But he dared not return the
alms-bowl to the Buddha. So he had to follow him unwillingly.
When they reached the monastery Prince Nanda
was ordained as a bhikkhu but he found no delight in bhikkhuhood. One day,
the Buddha took him to the Tavatimsa celestial realm. On the way they
found a she-monkey in the forest. When they reached the Tavatimsa
celestial realm, the Buddha showed him beautiful angels. Then the Buddha
asked him, "Who is more beautiful, Janapadakalyani or the angels?" He
answered,
"My Janapadakalyani is just like the
she-monkey which we found on the way. "Then the Buddha asked whether he
wished to get the angels. The prince gave a reply that he wanted to get
them. The Buddha continued saying,"If you wish to get the angels, you
should practise according to the Dhamma." Wishing to get the angels,
Venerable Nanda kept on meditating and at last he became an arahat.
On the seventh day, when the Buddha went to
the palace to take alms-food. Yasodara made her seven-year-old son Rahula
well-dressed and sent him to the Buddha to ask for inheritance. The
inheritance she meant was the four pots of gold lost on the day of the
Bodhisatta's renunciation. These four pots of gold were included in the
group of seven which appeared at the same time with the birth of the
Bodhisatta (the Group of seven here means Princess Yosodhaya, Prince
Ananda, minister Kaludayi, Channa, the horse Kantaka, the Bodhi Tree and
the four pots of gold. When the Buddha returned to the Nigrodharama
monastery after having alms-food, Rahula followed the Buddha grasping his
robe and asking for the inheritance repeatedly. On reaching the monastery,
the Buddha asked the Venerable Sariputta to novitiate Rahula saying that
he should be giving the spiritual inheritance instead of the material one.
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Update : 01-05-2002
