The Chapter on Medicines
Chapter Eight

Thereupon the Blessed One said to the venerable Ānanda, “Ānanda, let us go to Mathurā.”

“Certainly, O Honored One,” replied the venerable Ānanda to the Blessed One. Then the Blessed One went to Mathurā, where he saw a green forest rising in the distance. At the sight of it, he said to the venerable Ānanda, “Ānanda, do you see the green forest rising?”

“Yes, I do, O Honored One.”

“That is a mountain called Urumuṇḍa.455 When a hundred years have passed after I am completely emancipated, two brothers in Mathurā named Naṭa and Bhaṭa will build a monastery there. [F.123.a] Its name will therefore be Naṭabhaṭika, and it will become the best of the dwelling places that are suited to insight and tranquility.

“Ānanda, in this Mathurā there will be a son of a perfumer named Gupta. His son, Upagupta, will be a buddha without the marks. When a hundred years have passed after I am completely emancipated, he will perform the acts of a buddha, having gone forth in the teachings. The monk Ānanda’s co-residential pupil named Madhyandina will let Upagupta go forth.456 The last of the instructors will be Upagupta. There will be a cave that is eighteen cubits long, twelve cubits wide, and seven cubits high near that Naṭabhaṭika. Each of those who have been instructed by him to actualize the fruit of an arhat will throw a stick of four fingers’ breadth into the cave. When the cave has become full of the sticks of those arhats, Upagupta will be completely emancipated. After he has been completely emancipated, they will pile up the arhats’ sticks and cremate his body.”

The monks, feeling doubtful, inquired of the Buddha, the Blessed One, the one who severs all doubts, “How is it, O Honored One, that the Blessed One has predicted the venerable Upagupta’s having compassion for many people in the future?”

“Listen, monks,” said the Blessed One, “and inscribe it in your minds how, not only in that time, but also previously, he acted for the benefit of many people. I will tell you about it.

“In a time long ago, monks, there lived self-awakened ones, ṛṣis, and monkeys on the three sides of this Mount Urumuṇḍa. On one side lived five hundred self-awakened ones, on the second five hundred ṛṣis, and on the third five hundred monkeys. Whenever a child of a monkey [F.123.b] was born, the leader of the monkeys used to kill it. Therefore, the female monkeys, out of sorrow for their children, began to discuss this among themselves: ‘Listen, ladies. Since every time a child is born to us, it is killed by this leader, we must devise a plan regarding this‍—when any one of us female monkeys has become pregnant, she should not tell the leader.’

“Later, when a female monkey became pregnant, they concealed her in a hidden place and fed her with roots and fruits. After the baby monkey was born, they also nourished and raised him in that hidden place. That monkey then grew up and banished the leader from his own troop. The leader began to wander around on Mount Urumuṇḍa. As he wandered he heard the voices of the self-awakened ones and approached them. When he felt comfortable living with them, he offered them roots, leaves, flowers, fruits, and toothpicks. They, too, gave him leftovers from their bowls. Whenever the self-awakened ones had finished their meal, they used to sit with their legs crossed. Observing their behavior, the monkey, too, sat with his legs crossed.

“Later, the self-awakened ones thought, ‘Since we have attained what is to be attained with our putrid bodies, we will enter the realm of peaceful emancipation.’ They displayed miracles, namely, blazing fire, radiating light, and causing rain to fall and lightning to strike, and they were completely emancipated in the realm of emancipation without remainder.

“They therefore did not rise at their usual hour of rising. When he did not see them, the monkey became anxious. The monkey entered the cave and shook their robes. Then [F.124.a] a deity living in the cave thought, ‘If this monkey destroys the bodies of the self-awakened ones, that would not be appropriate.’ He shut the entrance with a large stone slab and stood there. The monkey felt sorrow and pain and lamentation, and so he departed and wandered on Mount Urumuṇḍa. Anxious, and missing the humans, he strained his ears to hear a human voice, and soon he heard the voices spoken by those ṛṣis. Just like a lost traveler, he hurried to them.

“Those ṛṣis were harming themselves with horrible ascetic practices: some were keeping their hands raised, some were standing on one foot, and some were tormenting themselves with fivefold heat.458 When the monkey felt comfortable living with them, he offered them roots, leaves, flowers, fruits, and toothpicks. They, too, gave him their leftovers. Disrupting their behavior, he taught them the behavior of the self-awakened ones: there he lowered the hands of those who were keeping their hands raised, snapped his fingers, and sat down before them with his legs crossed; he lowered the legs of those who were standing on one foot and sat down before them with his legs crossed; and he put out the fires of those who were tormenting themselves with fivefold heat, snapped his fingers, and sat down before them with his legs crossed. Then the ṛṣis said to their instructor, ‘Master, this monkey interrupts our ascetic practice,’ and they explained everything to him in detail.

“ ‘Sirs,’ he replied, ‘these monkeys have good memories. Since he has certainly seen such behavior by some other ṛṣis, you should sit with your legs crossed, too.’

“When they sat with their legs crossed, their previous roots of merit [F.124.b] became manifest. They generated the thirty-seven aspects of awakening with knowledge, without a teacher or preceptor, and actualized the awakening of self-awakened ones. They directed the faith that had emerged from the Dharma to the monkey. Whenever they received fresh crops, fresh fruits, or seasonal foods as alms from people, they gave him some of the food first and after that enjoyed the rest of the food for themselves.

“Later, the monkey died. The self-awakened ones gathered fragrant wood from various areas and directions, heaped up all the fragrant wood, and cremated his body.

“What do you think, monks? That monkey who lived with the self-awakened ones was indeed this Upagupta. At that time, he acted for the benefit of many people. And now, too, I have predicted his benefiting and having compassion for many people.”

Thereupon The Blessed One, traveling in Śūrasena, went to Mathurā.460 Some brahmins in Mathurā heard that the śramaṇa Gautama had arrived in Mathurā and that, with the strong wish to purify the four castes, he explained, designated, defined, analyzed, expounded, clarified, taught, and perfectly taught. They thought, “If he enters Mathurā, he will be an obstacle to us gaining profit and honors. Since it is known that he is concerned about disrespectful acts, if someone performs disrespectful acts toward him, he will not stay in Mathurā. It would not be surprising if someone from a lowly family performed disrespectful acts toward him, but it would be more effective if some great person did so. Is there any great person among us?”

At that time there was a brahmin in Mathurā [F.125.a] named Nīlabhūti, who had mastered the Vedas and the auxiliary branches of the Vedas, who was able to present his own words clearly and defeat others’ criticisms, and whose words followed the truth. Then the brahmins in Mathurā met together, flocked together, went to Nīlabhūti, and said, “Master, it has been heard that the śramaṇa Gautama has come here and that, with the strong wish to purify the four castes, he … perfectly teaches. Since it is known that he is concerned about disrespectful acts, if someone performs disrespectful acts toward him, he will not stay in Mathurā. It would not be surprising if someone from a lowly family performed disrespectful acts toward him, but it would be more effective if some great person did so. Who else but you is the great person among us? Please revile him with disrespectful words of blame.”

“Sirs,” said Nīlabhūti, “this tongue of mine follows the truth. If he deserves revilement, I will revile him. But if he deserves praise, I will praise him.”

After that, the brahmin Nīlabhūti, attended by the elder brahmins living in Mathurā, went to the Blessed One. The brahmin Nīlabhūti saw from a distance the Blessed One, whose body was fully ornamented with the thirty-two marks of a great man, illuminated by the eighty minor marks, ornamented with a fathom-wide halo, and beautiful like a moving mountain of jewels with light surpassing a thousand suns, sitting tranquilly under a tree. Upon seeing him, the brahmin opened his eyes wide with astonishment and began to praise the Blessed One: