The Coming Buddha,
Ariya Metteyya
Sayagyi U Chit Tin
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The
Career of Bodhisatta Metteyya
Namo Tassa
Bhagavato Arahatto Sammasambuddhassa
The Bodhisatta
will be the son of the Wheel-turning Monarch's head priest, Subrahma,
and his wife, Brahmavati.[88] He will be named Ajita, and he will bear
the thirty-two marks and eighty minor marks that are common to Buddhas
and Wheel-turning Monarchs.[89] He will lead the household life for
eight thousand years. He will have four palaces named:[90] Sirivaddha,
Vaddhamana, Siddhattha, and Candaka. He will have 100,000 dancing
girls.[91] His wife will be Candamukhi[92] and his son will be named
Brahmavaddhana.
Bodhisattas decide to give up household
life after they have seen the four signs (an old man, a sick man, a dead
man, and a contented man who has gone forth from lay life) and after a
son is born to them. They put on the yellow robe and engage in striving.
The Bodhisatta Metteyya will go forth in one of his palaces. Accompanied
by his followers, he will fly through the air in the palace and go to
the Naga tree, which will be his Bodhi tree. He will engage in striving
for seven days, which is the minimum period.
There is a detailed account of these
events in the Dasabodhisattauddesa:[93]
At the age of eight thousand years, the
Bodhisatta will mount a chariot that resembles a glorious celestial
palace and when going to the royal park, he will see the four signs.
They will produce the knowledge of a sense of urgency. And he will long
for the state of going forth. Then he will return and go up to his
palace. His mind will be bent on the state of going forth. At that
moment, that jewel palace will fly up by a path in the sky, and he will
leap up into the sky, like the king of the golden water fowl, together
with his followers.
Then the Devas of the ten thousand world
systems will take flowers and honour him. The eighty-four thousand kings
(of India), the people from the cities and from the countryside will
honour him with perfume and flowers. The king of the Asuras will guard
the palace. The king of the Nagas will take (him) a precious gem, the
king of the Supannas will take (him) a jewel necklace, the king of
Gandhabbas will honour him with musical instruments and dancers. The
Wheel-turning Monarch, together with his consorts and followers, will go
to the Bodhisatta.
By the power of the king and the power
of the Great Being, all that crowd will be established in the state of
going forth, and the people will rise into the sky with him and go [to
the Bodhi tree]. Then, the Maha-Brahma will take a sixty-league parasol
and hold it [over them]. The Deva king Sakka will blow the Vijayuttara
conch shell. [The king of the Yama Devas,] Suyama, will take a yak's
tail fan and honour him. [The king of the Tusita Devas,] Santusita, will
hold a jewel fan. [The Gandhabba Deva,] Pancasikha, will take his
celestial lute Velupanda,[94] and play it. The [four Great Deva] Kings,
swords in hand, will surround them on all four sides. All those Devas,
all those people and Gandhabbas, all those Yakkhas, Nagas, and Supannas,
surrounding him in front, in back, and on both sides, will go with him.
Surrounded by that crowd of Devas, women, etc., of great splendour and
beauty, he [the Bodhisatta] will rise into the sky, [and then] descend
near the Terrace of Awakening. At that moment, the Maha-Brahma will take
the eight requisites [of an ascetic] created by his psychic powers and
offer them to him. Then the Great Being will cut off the topknot of hair
[on his head] and throw it up in the sky. He will take the eight
requisites from the hands of the [Maha-]Brahma and go forth. For seven
days he will make the Great Effort. And all that great crowd [of people]
will follow the [example] of the Great Being in going forth.
The Naga tree where the Bodhisatta will
be Awakened is described[95] as being 120 cubits high with four (main)
branches 120 or 130 cubits long. There will be 2,000 (minor)
branches.[96] The tips of the branches will be bent, (constantly)
moving, and will be continually in bloom with blossoms as big as wheels.
They will have a heavenly smell, full of pollen.[97] The perfume will
spread around for ten leagues, both with and against the wind. The
leaves will be a deep green in all seasons and the flowers will scatter
on the people all around.
The Anagatavamsa[98] describes
the people who go forth with the Buddha, including the names of the most
important people among them: He will be accompanied by a large group of
people, including friends, ministers, and members of his family. There
will be a fourfold army and an assembly of the four castes to go forth
with him. There will be 84,000 princesses and 84,000 Brahmas who are
skilled in the Vedas. Among the 84,000 there will be the brothers
Isidatta and Purana; the twins of unlimited wisdom, Jatimitta and
Vijaya; the householder Suddhika and the female disciple Suddhana; the
male disciple Sankha and the female disciple Sankha,[99] the householder
Saddara and the famous man Sudatta; and the husband and wife Visakha and
Yasavati. Many other citizens and people from the countryside of various
social rank will go forth.
The spot on which the Bodhisattas attain
Awakening is one of the four fixed places, so Metteyya will make his
final bid for liberation on the same spot as all the past Buddhas - the
present-day Bodha-gaya. On the day they attain Self-Awakening,
Bodhisattas have a meal of milkrice. They are seated on a spreading of
grass. They use mindfulness of breathing as their preparation for
developing insight and shatter the forces of Mara. They attain the three
knowledges and the special qualities not shared by others, etc., while
still seated in the cross-legged position. And they spend seven weeks
near the Tree of Awakening after becoming Self-Awakened. The
Anagatavamsa commentary says that from the time he becomes Awakened,
Ariya Metteyya will be known as the King of the Buddhas (Buddharaja).
Then the Maha-Brahma will request that
Buddha Metteyya teach others the path to Nibbana.
Buddha Metteyya will preach his first
discourse, the Setting in Motion of the Wheel of the Doctrine, in
Nagavana ("The Elephant Grove").[100] The park is said to be
in Isipatana near the city of Ketumati.[101] He will be surrounded by an
assembly extending one hundred leagues. A great many Devas will approach
him at that time, and he will set free one hundred crores from their
bondage.[102] This will be the first occasion when a great number of
beings attain penetration (Abhisamaya) into the Four Noble
Truths.[103]
Then King Sankha will give his jewel
palace to the Sangha with the Buddha at its head, and he will
make a great donation to the poor, the needy, and beggars. Accompanied
by his wife and 90,000 crores of people, the king will approach the
Buddha. And all that 90,000 crores of people will be ordained with the
words 'Come, bhikkhu' (ehi bhikkhu).[104] This will be the second
penetration.
After that, the third penetration of
80,000 crores will take place when Devas and men approach the Buddha
with a question concerning Arahatship.
There will be three assemblies (Sannipata)
of Arahats.[105] The first will include 100,000 crores. This may be, as
for many past Buddhas, at the time the Buddha recites the Patimokkha
on the full-moon day of Magha to an assembly possessing four factors:
(1) all the bhikkhus present are ordained with the "Come,
bhikkhu" ordination, (2) all have the six types of higher
knowledge, (3) all of them come without any previous announcement, and
(4) the observance day (Uposatha) is on the fifteenth (day in the
bright fortnight).[106] The second assembly will be at the time the
Buddha proclaims the "Invitation" at the end of the rainy
season and will include 90,000 crores. For the third assembly, 80,000
crores of Arahats will accompany the Buddha when he goes in seclusion on
the Gandhamadana slope of the Himavant mountain range. Otherwise, the
Buddha Metteyya will continually be surrounded by 100,000 crores of
those who have attained the six types of higher knowledge (abhinna) and
great psychic power.[107]
Buddha Gotama said[108] that just as he
was accompanied by a Sangha of hundreds of bhikkhus when
he wandered around,[109] Buddha Metteyya will be accompanied by
thousands.
Buddha Metteyya will go through the
countryside teaching the Doctrine, awakening many people.[110] Some will
take the three refuges, some will be established in the five precepts,
some will undertake the ten skilful actions. There will be some who
become ordained, some who attain the four excellent Fruition States,
some who will attain analytic insight into the Doctrine, some who will
attain the eight excellent perfections, some the three knowledges, and
some the six types of higher knowledge. The Teachings of Buddha Metteyya
will be widespread. Seeing people who are ready to be Awakened, he will
go 100,000 leagues in a moment to cause them to be Awakened.
It is even said that Buddha Metteyya
will quench the heat for beings reborn in the lower realms.[111] The
first chief disciple will be the Wheel-turning Monarch Sankha who will
have the bhikkhu name of Asoka.[112] The second chief disciple will be
Brahmadeva. The Buddha's attendant will be named Siha. The chief women
disciples among the bhikkhunis will be Paduma and Sumana. The
chief lay attendants among the men will be Sumano[113] and Sangha;[114]
among the women, Yasavati and Sangha.[115]
Wherever he goes, Buddha Metteyya will
be accompanied by a great company of Devas honouring him.[116] The
Kamavacarika Devas will make necklaces which will be adorned by the
kings of the Nagas and Supannas. There will be eight garlands each of
gold, silver, jewels, and coral. There will be many hundreds of banners
hanging down. Awnings adorned with jewels will resemble the moon. They
will be surrounded by nets of bells and jewelled garlands. They will
scatter sweet-smelling flowers and different sorts of (perfumed) powder,
both divine and human. And there will be various types of cloth of many
colours. Having faith in the Buddha, they will sport all around. And
many marvels will take place through the power of Buddha Metteyya's
merit. Seeing those marvels, many people will decide they would rather
die than abandon him as their refuge. Many of them will attain
Awakening, and those who do not will do good deeds which lead to
heavenly worlds.
Several other details can be predicted
for Buddha Metteyya as they are part of the list of thirty things that
are true of all Buddhas:[117] He will live regularly at a monastery at
Jetavana. His bed there will be on the same spot as those of past
Buddhas. He will perform the Marvel of the Double at the gateway to the
city of Savatthi. He will teach the Abhidhamma to his mother in
the Tavatimsa Deva world. He will descend from that Deva world at the
gateway to the city of Sankassa.
He will lay down a rule of training
whenever necessary. He will tell the story of one of his past lives
(Jataka) whenever necessary, and he will teach the Buddhavamsa
(The Chronicle of Buddhas) to a gathering of his relatives.
Several details have to do with his
day-to-day habits: he will give a friendly welcome to bhikkhus when
they arrive. He will spend the rains retreat where he is invited to and
will not leave without asking permission. Each day, he will carry out
the duties to be performed before and after meals and for the three
watches in the night.
Many details are given about the
physical appearance of Buddha Metteyya.[118] He will be eighty-eight
cubits[119] high. His chest will be twenty-five cubits in diameter.[120]
There will be twenty-two cubits from the soles of his feet to the knees,
from the knees to the navel, from the navel to the collar bone, and from
the collar bone to the apex of his head. His arms will be twenty-five
cubits long.[121] The collar bones will be five cubits.[122] Each finger
will be four cubits. Each palm will be five cubits. The circumference of
the neck will be five cubits. Each lip will be five cubits.[123] The
length of his tongue will be ten cubits. His elevated nose will be seven
cubits. Each eye socket will be seven cubits. The eyes themselves will
be five cubits. The Anagatavamsa says[124] his eyelashes will be thick,
that the eyes will be broad and pure, not winking day or night;[125] and
that with his physical eye, he will be able to see large and small
things all around for ten leagues without obstruction. The space between
the eyebrows will be five cubits.[126] The eyebrows will be five cubits.
Each ear will be seven cubits.[127] The circumference of his face will
be twenty-five cubits.[128] The spiral of the protuberance on his
head[129] will be twenty-five cubits.
Rays of six colours will radiate from
his body and illumine the 10,000 world systems.[130] The major and minor
marks will always be visible as countless hundreds of thousands of
rays[131] which will shine in all directions for twenty-five
leagues.[132] Through the merit acquired when the blood flowed from his
head when he offered it to Buddha Sirimata, his radiance as a Buddha
(Buddha-patha) will shine from the summit of the world to the lowest of
the hells, Avici, and the offering of his head and the drops of
blood will mean that the radiance from the hair between his eyebrows
will be unlimited.[133]
People will not be able to distinguish
night from day.[134] The only way they will know when it is night is
through the sound of bird cries and the closing of the blossoms and
leaves of lotuses and water lilies. They will know it is day by the
cries of birds going to seek food and the opening of the flowers and
leaves of lotuses and water lilies.[135]
Wherever Buddha Metteyya walks, lotuses
will spring up for him to step on.[136] This is said to be the result of
his great effort in the past life when he was King Sankha and went to
Buddha Sirimata.[137] The main petals of the lotuses will be thirty
cubits, and the minor petals, twenty-five. The stamens will be twenty
cubits,[138] the pistils will be sixteen cubits, and they will be full
of red pollen.[139]
But even Buddhas are subject to the law
of impermanence. Eventually, Buddha Metteyya will attain final Nibbana.
All Buddhas have a meal with meat on the day of their final Nibbana.
Before their final Nibbana, they will have accomplished 2,400,000 crores
of attainments.[140] According to the Anagatavamsa commentary,
when Ariya Metteyya attains final Nibbana, he will not leave
behind his human body (Vipaka-kammaja-rupa, 'the body produced by
the fruition [of volitional actions]'); he will enter the element of
Nibbana (Nibbana-dhatu) and no relics will remain. Although the
poem says his dispensation will last for 180,000 years,[141] the
commentary says it will continue for 380,000 years.
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FOOTNOTES:
- Also mentioned in Vism chap. XIII,
127 and As 415 (Expos. 525). Dvp (126/133) gives the mother's name
as Pajapati.
- For the list of the 32 marks, see D I
17-19 (DB I 1416). The 80 minor marks are given in the introduction
to Dbk.
- This is the only case in which a
Bodhisatta is said to have four rather than three palaces. As each
of the three palaces were used for one of the three seasons, we can
surmise that there will be four seasons during the time of the next
Buddha. Dbu (300/339), and Dvp (126/133) mention only three palaces.
- Dbu (300/339) says 700,000.
- According to Dvp (126/132) she will
be the chief consort out of 1,000 wives.
- Dbu 300/339f.
- Alternate reading: Vijjuttara.
- Usually named Beluva-pandu-vina. PED
defines vina as a lute, but translates as "flute" (sic)
under the entries panddu and beluva.
- Dvp 126f./134, Dbu 300f./340; Anag vv
100-103.
- Dbu says that from the root to the
extremity of the branches will be 200 feet plus 40 cubits. Anag says
the trunk will measure 2,000 cubits.
- Anag v 100 says the pollen (of each
bloom) will be enough to fill a nali measure.
- Vv 55-63.
- Alternate reading: Sangha and
Sangha.
- Dvp (126f./134) says it will be at
the park in Isipatana near the city of Ketumati. In this version,
King Sankha is present for the First Sermon.
- CSM 429, but cf. CB xxii.
- Dvp (127/134) says an incalculable.
Dbu (301/340) says 100 crores of humans and an unlimited number of
Devas.
- The twenty-five Buddhas described in
the Buddhavamsa (including Buddha Gotama) are said to have three
"penetrations."
- In CSM (279), only Buddha Padumuttara
is described as having "Ehi bhikkhus" in a
"penetration." Many past Buddhas had such bhikkhus
in assemblies.
- Buddhas generally have three
assemblies, but Buddha Gotama and the three Buddhas before him had
only one each (D I 2-7 [DB I 6f.]).
- Cf. CSM 180.
- Anag v 83.
- D III 76 (DB III 74).
- The last detail is added by the
commentary (Sv 856).
- This paragraph is based on Anag vv
87-95.
- Sih III v 20.
- Names of the chief disciples are
found in Anag vv 97-99. The commentary in BN 630/862 gives the
information concerning Sankha taking the bhikkhu name of
Asoka.
- Alternate reading in BN 630/862: Suddhana.
- Alternate reading: Sankha.
- Alternate reading: Sankha. These two
pairs are identified as lay disciples in BN 630/862.
- Details in this paragraph are from
Anag vv 112-123.
- CSM 428ff.
- Dbk 55/61, Dbu 301/340, Anag vv
105-109.
- Miss Horner says that a cubit (hattha)
is the distance between the elbow and the tip of the extended middle
finger (CB xxii).
- Dbk says 25 cubits broad and 25
cubits lengthwise. Dbu says 25 cubits thick.
- Dbu says 40 cubits.
- Dbu says from one shoulder to the
other will be 25 cubits.
- Dbu says 15 cubits, but a variant
reading gives 5.
- V 106.
- Usually given as a sign of a Deva or
Yakkha.
- Dbu says 4.
- Dbu says 5.
- Dbk has "the circle of the face
and ears" (trans.: "each auricle"). Dbk:kanna-mukha-mandalam;
Dbu: mukha-mandalam.
- Dbu 301: avatta-unhisam. This
mark is not entirely clear as it seems an exceptionally high figure.
[
- Dbk 55/120, Dbu 301/340.
- Anag v 109.
- Anag v 107, Dbk 61/128.
- Dbu 306/344.
- According to Dbu (106/344) he will
shine both day and night through the merit he acquired from the
blood which flowed from his legs and feet when he went to see Buddha
Sirimata in a past life.
- Dbk 120f./55, Dbu 301f./340.
- Details from Anag Vv 110f., Dbk
55/121, and Dbu 302/341.
- Dbk 61/128.
- Left out of the translation of Dbk
(p. 55).
- Dbk translates "pollen of ten
cubits" for dasa-dasa-sampanna nenu which should perhaps
mean "filled with tens (of loads) of pollen" (Dbu has dasa-dasa-ammana-renuka,
ammana meaning "a load"). The size of an ammana is
not known precisely, but would be a large quantity.
- CSM 430.
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