The Hundred Deeds
Part Three

When the Blessed One was in Śrāvastī, there lived two householders who were very close friends. One day, one of them said to the other, “My friend, let’s make certain that come what may, the bond between us can never be broken.”

“How could we do that?” asked the other householder.

“We have to become kin,” said the first.

“Do you have a son or daughter?” wondered the other.

“No, I don’t,” said the first.

“Well, if you don’t have a son or daughter and I don’t either, how will we ever be kin?” asked the other. [F.133.a]

“There are two ways to become related to someone,” replied the first, “through children you’ve already borne, or through children not yet born to you. Even though neither one of us has children, we could become kin through the children we’ve yet to have. Say, for instance, I have a son and you have a daughter‍—then we betroth your daughter to my son. Or say you have a son and I have a daughter‍—then we betroth my daughter to your son.” With that they became kin, despite the fact that their children had not yet been born, and they went their separate ways.

Then one day the wife of the first conceived, and after nine or ten months had passed, she gave birth to a child who was well proportioned, pleasing to the eye, and beautiful. At the elaborate feast celebrating his birth they named him according to their clan, and they raised him on milk, yogurt, butter, ghee, and milk solids.

Sometime after that, as the other and his wife enjoyed themselves and coupled, his wife conceived. After nine or ten months had passed, she gave birth to a child who was well proportioned, pleasing to the eye, and beautiful. At the elaborate feast celebrating her birth they named her according to their clan, and they raised her on milk, yogurt, butter, ghee, and milk solids. When she grew up she found faith in the doctrine of the Blessed One, went for refuge, and took the fundamental precepts.

One day she asked for her parents’ permission, saying, “Mother, Father, I cannot engage in sexual relations. Therefore I am asking for your kind permission to go forth in the doctrine of the Blessed One.”

“My child, we cannot allow that,” her parents said, “for we betrothed you to a family before you were born.”

The young woman persisted in asking over and over until her parents thought, “Alas, it may be that our daughter will disobey us and go forth. [F.133.b] We must warn our prospective in-laws.” So they said to the boy’s parents, “Our daughter wants to go forth, and it is possible she will do so in secret. Do not delay in making her a bride and bringing her into your home.”

Now no sooner had they heard this than the householders dressed up their son and sent the young man‍—adorned with every type of adornment, laden with riches‍—to the home of his in-laws, and the householders handed their daughter to him to be married, as is the custom among householders.

After he had accepted her as his bride, the young woman fled. She went to the nunnery, where her preceptor led her to go forth as a novice and then conferred on her full ordination and instructed her. Casting away all afflictive emotions through diligence, practice, and effort, she manifested arhatship, and even began to perform miracles. She became an object of offering, veneration, and respectful address by Indra, Upendra, and the other gods.

When the young man heard that his wife had run away, he immediately set out to look for her, accompanied by many servants. Arriving at the nunnery, the young man found his wife, head shaved, garbed in the colorful religious robes, sitting cross-legged in meditation. As soon as he saw her he went to her and took her by the hand. Just then she rose up into the sky, making a miraculous display of fire and light, rain and lightning. At the sight of this the young man and the others gathered there experienced a surge of joy, and in their joy they bowed down at her feet, and said, “O great fortunate one, please, please come down! We’re mired in misdeeds! Please reach down and lift us up!”

When she descended, the young man touched his head to her feet, asked for her forgiveness, provided for all her needs, and sat before her to listen to the Dharma. She realized the thoughts, [F.134.a] habitual tendencies, temperament, capacity, and nature of the young man and the others gathered there, and taught them the Dharma accordingly. When they heard it, they destroyed with the thunderbolt of wisdom the twenty high peaks of the mountain of views concerning the transitory collection, and manifested the resultant state of stream entry right where they sat.

Having seen the truths, the young man thought, “Since even a woman who has gone forth in the Blessed One’s teaching can achieve such a collection of great qualities as these, I should also give up my life at home and go forth in the Blessed One’s teaching so that I can ford the floodwaters and completely escape my fetters through diligence, practice, and effort.”

With this thought he asked for his parents’ permission and went forth in the doctrine of the Blessed One, cast away all afflictive emotions through diligence, practice, and effort, and manifested arhatship.

“Lord,” the monks asked the Blessed One, “what action did this nun take that after she became a bride she cast away all afflictive emotions and manifested arhatship, and that this monk, entrusting himself to her completely, likewise cast away all afflictive emotions and manifested arhatship?”

“It came about by the power of her prayers,” replied the Blessed One.

“Lord, where did she make these prayers?”

“Monks,” the Blessed One explained, “in times past, in this fortunate eon, when people lived as long as twenty thousand years, and the totally and completely awakened Buddha possessed of insight and perfect conduct, the sugata, the knower of the world, the tamer of persons, the charioteer, the unsurpassed one, the teacher of humans and gods, the blessed buddha known as Kāśyapa was in the world, there was a certain householder’s daughter in Vārāṇasī who [F.134.b] had fled home life in just the same way, and whose betrothed, entrusting himself to her completely, likewise went forth in the doctrine of the totally and completely awakened Buddha Kāśyapa.

“That nun practiced pure conduct all her life, and at the time of her death, she prayed, ‘While I may not have attained any great virtues, still I practiced pure conduct all my life. Therefore, may I please and not displease Uttara, the young brahmin prophesied by the totally and completely awakened Buddha Kāśyapa to be the next blessed buddha. After fleeing from marriage by this very same method, may I go forth in his doctrine alone, cast away all afflictive emotions, and manifest arhatship.’

“When he saw her praying, the man to whom she had been betrothed asked, ‘Fine woman, what kind of prayers are you making?’ She explained them in detail, and after hearing her explanation, he prayed in the same way, and said, ‘Fine woman, having entrusted myself to you completely I found faith in the doctrine of the totally and completely awakened Buddha Kāśyapa. When I am again to become your husband, then having entrusted myself to you completely may I please and not displease Uttara, the young brahmin prophesied by the totally and completely awakened Buddha Kāśyapa to be the next blessed buddha. Going forth in his doctrine alone may I cast away all afflictive emotions, and manifest arhatship.’

“O monks, what do you think? The one who was that nun then is none other than this nun. At that time she practiced the holy life all her life, and at the time of her death she prayed, ‘While I may not have attained any great virtues, still I fled from marriage, went forth in the doctrine of the totally and completely awakened Buddha Kāśyapa, and practiced pure conduct all my life. Therefore, may I once again flee from marriage, go forth in the doctrine of Uttara, the young brahmin prophesied by the totally and completely awakened Buddha Kāśyapa to be the next blessed buddha, cast away all afflictive emotions, [F.135.a] and manifest arhatship.’

“So it is, monks, now that I myself have become the very equal of the totally and completely awakened Buddha Kāśyapa‍—equal in strength, equal in deeds, and equal in skillful means‍—that by fleeing marriage and going forth she has pleased me, not displeased me, cast away all afflictive emotions, and manifested arhatship.

“The one who was betrothed to her then is none other than this monk. At that time he prayed, ‘When I again become your husband, entrusting myself to you completely may I please and not displease Uttara, the young brahmin prophesied by the totally and completely awakened Buddha Kāśyapa to be the next blessed buddha. Going forth in his doctrine alone may I cast away all afflictive emotions, and manifest arhatship.’

“So it is that he has now trusted in her completely, pleased me, not displeased me, gone forth in my very doctrine alone, and manifested arhatship.”

When the Blessed One was in Śrāvastī, King Prasenajit had two chief ministers there named Mṛgāra and Dinna. The two ministers were very close friends. When the time came for them to marry each minister took a wife and enjoyed himself with her and coupled.

One day when the two saw each other again, Dinna said, “My friend, we should make it so that come what may, our friendship is not severed, nor even a little strained, for as long as we live.”

“How could we do that?” asked Mṛgāra.

“We have to become kin,” replied Dinna.

“Do you have a son or daughter?” wondered Mṛgāra.

“No, I don’t,” said Dinna. [F.135.b]

“Well, if you don’t have a son or daughter, and neither do I, how will we ever be kin?” asked Mṛgāra.

“There are two ways to become related to someone,” said Dinna, “through children you’ve already borne, or through children not yet born to you. Even though neither one of us has children, we could become kin through the children we’ve yet to have. Say, for instance, I have a son and you have a daughter‍—then we betroth your daughter to my son. Or say you have a son and I have a daughter‍—then we betroth my daughter to your son.” They agreed to do just that and went their separate ways.

One day, Mṛgāra’s wife conceived. After nine or ten months had passed, she gave birth to a child, and they named him Viśākha.

Now desires are like salt water‍—the more you use to slake your thirst, the more you need. Altogether Mṛgāra and his wife had seven children, and at the elaborate feasts celebrating their births they named them according to their clan, and began to rear them.

Then one day Dinna’s wife also conceived, and after nine or ten months had passed, she gave birth to a child who was well proportioned, pleasing to the eye, and beautiful. But it was the child’s nature to weep constantly, and though her parents made every effort, they could not make her stop.

This went on until one day Mahā­prajāpatī Gautamī came to their house and taught the Dharma to the householders. When the child heard the Dharma, she quieted down. But when Mahā­prajāpatī Gautamī left, having completed her discourse on the Dharma, the child began to weep again. The householders realized that the child must have wanted to hear more Dharma. At the elaborate feast celebrating her birth they asked, “What name should we give this child?” And they named her, saying, “Since she is Dinna’s child and wishes for Dharma, her name will be Dharmadinnā.” They reared young Dharmadinnā on milk, yogurt, butter, ghee, and milk solids, [F.136.a] and when she grew up she found faith in the doctrine of the Blessed One.

From time to time she asked for her parents’ permission to offer food to the monks and nuns and to sit in front of them to listen to the Dharma. After hearing the Dharma, she went for refuge and took the fundamental precepts, and while still living at home she manifested the resultant state of non-return and even began to perform miracles. Having seen the truths, she asked for her parents’ permission saying, “Mother, Father, I am asking for your kind permission to go forth in the doctrine of the Blessed One.”

“My child, we cannot allow that,” her parents said, “for we betrothed you to a family before you were born.”

Their daughter said, “If I have no interest in objects of desire, what need do I have for a spouse?”

“We cannot give you permission ourselves, but it is up to you,” replied her parents. “We will invite the Buddha and the rest of the saṅgha of monks for a meal. You can ask Mṛgāra and your betrothed for permission then, and go forth.”

The householder Dinna extended an invitation to the Buddha and the rest of the saṅgha of monks. He prepared many good, wholesome foods that night, and in the morning he rose, prepared seats, filled the water pots, and set them out. Then he sent a message to the Blessed One reminding him it was time for the midday meal: “Lord, the midday meal is upon us. Know that the time has come, Blessed One, and your presence is requested.”

In the morning the Blessed One donned his lower garment and Dharma robes, and, carrying his alms bowl, he set out surrounded and escorted by an assembly of monks. He arrived at the householder Dinna’s reception room, where [F.136.b] he took his place on the seat prepared for him. Once the householder knew that the Buddha and the rest of the saṅgha of monks were comfortably seated, by his own hand he contented them with many good, wholesome foods, proffering all that they wished. After contenting them by his own hand with many different kinds of good, wholesome food, proffering all that they wished, once he knew that the Blessed One had finished eating and his bowl had been taken away and his hands washed, he sat before the Blessed One to listen to the Dharma.

Since he was unable himself to prevent young Dharmadinnā from fulfilling her wish go forth, he sent word to the householder Mṛgāra, asking him to please come and prevent it. As soon as he heard this, Mṛgāra came with his servants and surrounded the home of the householder Dinna. After the Blessed One had instructed, encouraged, inspired, and delighted the householder Dinna and the people of his house with a Dharma teaching, he rose from his seat and departed. After the Buddha and the saṅgha of monks had departed, the saṅgha of the nuns also departed, and young Dharmadinnā went with them.

When young Viśākha and Mṛgāra and his retinue spotted young Dharmadinnā leaving the house, they cried out, “Young Viśākha, grab the girl, Dharmadinnā!” At that moment she rose up into the sky and performed a miraculous display of fire and light, rain and lightning. As soon as young Viśākha saw this, he thought, “How could she possibly engage in sexual relations with me now that she has attained such great virtues?” Ordinary people are quickly brought to faith through miracles, so when Mṛgāra’s retinue saw all this, they threw themselves at Dharmadinnā’s feet, saying, “O great fortunate one, please, please come down! We’re mired in misdeeds! Please reach down and lift us up!”

She [F.137.a] descended and young Viśākha touched his head to her feet and asked her forgiveness, saying, “Of course you have my consent to go forth. I shall provide for all your needs. Whatever your needs, I shall provide for them all.” With this he sat before her to listen to the Dharma. After Dharmadinnā had instructed, encouraged, inspired, and delighted them with a Dharma teaching, she departed.

She proceeded to the nunnery, went forth, and the nuns conferred on her the precepts for female novices. Having been conferred vows for the precepts of the six factors,95 she practiced them for two years, at which time she wished to receive full ordination. The nuns thus conferred on her the vows of the holy life and prepared to lead her to the garden of Prince Jeta for full ordination.

Dharmadinnā was well proportioned, pleasing to the eye, and beautiful, with an incomparably splendid complexion and an unmatched figure‍—the best in the land. As soon as she was born men had started asking for her hand, but since the householder Dinna had already promised her to someone, he would not give her to anyone else.

When she had gone forth, those men thought, “While she was living at home we could not have her. But now that she has left, we can do as we please. They then began to consider how they might trap her and take her by force. Someone went and alerted the nuns, and they thought, “We can no longer bring her to the garden of Prince Jeta for full ordination, nor can we keep her at the nunnery.” So they brought her back to her parents’ house, and there she stayed.

After that the nuns related her story in detail to the Blessed One, and asked, “Lord, how can we complete the nun [F.137.b] Dharmadinnā’s ordination?”

The Blessed One responded, “In a case like this, it is permissible for the nun Dharmadinnā to be ordained by message. If one day other persons like her venture outside and similar troubles arise, they too should be ordained by message.”

As soon as the nuns heard this, they conferred full ordination on Dharmadinnā by message and had her recite in exactly the way given in the scriptures. Then the nuns who had sent the message came to see the nun Dharmadinnā and informed her, “Dharmadinnā, you have received full ordination. Be conscientious and diligent.”

As soon as she heard this, Dharmadinnā cast away all afflictive emotions and manifested arhatship. As an arhat, free from the attachments of the three realms, her mind regarded gold no differently than filth, and the palms of her hands as like space itself. She became cool like wet sandalwood. Her insight crushed ignorance like an eggshell. She achieved the insights, superknowledges, and discriminations. She had no regard for worldly profit, passion, or acclaim. She became an object of offering, veneration, and respectful address by Indra, Upendra, and the other gods.

The monks inquired of the Blessed Buddha, “What action did Dharmadinnā take that ripened into her birth into a family of great means, prosperity, and wealth; that she pleased and did not displease the Blessed One; that, going forth in the doctrine of the Blessed One, she cast away all afflictive emotions and manifested arhatship; and that she alone was instrumental in the Blessed One permitting the full ordination of nuns by message?”

“It came about by the power of her prayers,” replied the Blessed One. [F.138.a]

“Lord, where did she make these prayers?”

“Monks,” the Blessed One explained, “in times past, in this fortunate eon, when people lived as long as twenty thousand years, and the totally and completely awakened buddha possessed of insight and perfect conduct, the sugata, the knower of the world, the tamer of persons, the charioteer, the unsurpassed one, the teacher of humans and gods, the blessed buddha known as Kāśyapa was in the world, there lived a certain householder in Vārāṇasī. One day a child was born to him who was well proportioned, pleasing to the eye, and beautiful, with an unmatched figure‍—the best in the land.

“When she grew up she found faith in the doctrine of the totally and completely awakened Buddha Kāśyapa. After she asked for her parents’ permission and went forth as a novice,96 she ventured outside and trouble arose, so the Blessed Kāśyapa permitted her to be fully ordained by message. The nuns who had conferred on her full ordination by message came to see her and informed her, ‘So-and-so, you have received full ordination. Be conscientious and diligent.’

“As soon as she heard this, she cast away all afflictive emotions and manifested arhatship, made a miraculous display of fire and light, rain and lightning, and passed beyond all sorrow into the realm of nirvāṇa without any remainder of the aggregates. Her preceptor performed ritual veneration of her relics, built a reliquary stūpa, and there offered flowers, sticks of incense, incense powders, and incense cones.

“After practicing pure conduct all her life, at the time of her death she prayed, ‘While I may not have attained any great virtues, still I went forth in the doctrine of the totally and completely awakened Buddha Kāśyapa and practiced pure conduct all my life. Therefore, [F.138.b] may I please and not displease Uttara, the young brahmin prophesied by the totally and completely awakened Buddha Kāśyapa to be the next blessed buddha.

“ ‘Just as my disciple was instrumental in the totally and completely awakened Buddha Kāśyapa permitting full ordination by message, when the peerless Śākyamuni, King of the Śākyas, permits ordination by message, may I go forth in his doctrine alone, cast away all afflictive emotions, and manifest arhatship.’

“O monks, what do you think? The one who was that preceptor nun97 then is none other than the nun Dharmadinnā. At that time she practiced pure conduct all her life, and at the time of her death, she prayed, ‘May I please and not displease Uttara, the young brahmin prophesied by the totally and completely awakened Buddha Kāśyapa to be the next blessed buddha. Going forth in his doctrine alone, may I cast away all afflictive emotions, and manifest arhatship. Just as my pupil was instrumental in the totally and completely awakened Buddha Kāśyapa permitting full ordination by message, may I likewise be instrumental in the peerless Śākyamuni, King of the Śākyas, permitting ordination by message.’

“So it is, monks, now that I myself have become the very equal of the totally and completely awakened Buddha Kāśyapa‍—equal in strength, equal in deeds, and equal in skillful means‍—that she has pleased me, not displeased me, gone forth in my very doctrine, cast away all afflictive emotions, and manifested arhatship, and that because of her I have permitted full ordination by message.”

The monks then requested the Blessed Buddha, [F.139.a] “Lord, tell us how the nun Dharmadinnā, admired by many men, maintained her pure conduct despite great adversity.”

“Not only now,” the Blessed One explained, “but in times past as well, and in the same way, she was admired by many men and maintained her pure conduct despite great adversity. Listen well!

“Monks, in times gone by, during King Brahmadatta’s reign in the city of Vārāṇasī, there lived a certain householder in the city of Vārāṇasī. When the time came for him to marry he took a wife. One day his wife conceived, and after nine or ten months had passed, she gave birth to a child who was well proportioned, pleasing to the eye, and beautiful. At the elaborate feast celebrating his birth they named him according to their clan.

“They reared him on milk, yogurt, butter, ghee, and milk solids, and as he grew up he studied letters, tallying, and arithmetic; the study of seals, lending, deposits, and commerce; and the examination of cloth, jewels, gems, incense, medicine, elephants, horses, and arms and armor. He became skilled in writing, skilled at reading, learned, decisive, and industrious, a master of the eight types of examination.

“When the time came for him to marry, his parents chose a wife for him. They enjoyed themselves and coupled, and the young man became so attached to her that he never wanted to be away from her. He would drop whatever he was doing just to be around her. Finally the householder thought, ‘If he remains this attached to her, everything we have will soon be gone! I’ve got to tear him away from that carcass of hers.’

“ ‘Son,’ he said, ‘what do you need that old carcass for? If you keep this up and don’t do any work, when you’re old, you’ll be penniless. Son, as long as [F.139.b] there’s life yet in your body, you should be making money. You can endear yourself to your wife later.’

“So the householder arranged to have the young man sent to another country on business. The young man loaded up the camels, donkeys, and the rest of the animals, and ranged over vast, isolated distances through the villages, cities, and forest settlements of that enormous country. After arriving in some remote place, he sat facing the direction of his wife, like freshly cut green grass that is left to wither, and asked himself, ‘How might I visit with her quickly?’ And so he sat there, reflecting on how he might do this.

“Now at that time in a mountain village there lived a certain man who was very skilled in the art of woodworking and knew how to make a garuḍa carving that could fly through the sky. When the young man heard about him, right away he thought, ‘I’ve found a way to get to her!’ He went to the artisan and said, ‘Sir, give me this garuḍa carving and I shall give you five hundred gold coins.’

“ ‘I wouldn’t feel right giving it to you for good,’ said the man. ‘You can come here every day to get it. Then return and bring it back to me.’

“ ‘As you wish,’ the young man replied.

“The man carved the garuḍa, taught the young man how to travel with it and how to return, and then gave it to him. The young man mounted it and traveled back to his house, where he would visit his wife, they would enjoy themselves happily, and then he would return to the mountain village.

“This continued until one day his wife conceived, but after nine or ten months had passed and the time came for her to give birth, the artisan had left for another province, so the young man could not get home anymore. Moreover, the girl’s two in-laws began to accuse her of adultery,98 saying, ‘How could you commit such a crime?’

“ ‘This was my husband’s doing,’ she replied.

“ ‘It’s been many years now since our son went away,” the householder responded. “How could he have done this?’ [F.140.a]

“She related the story to them in detail, and they said, ‘This did not happen the way you say it did.’ Out of resentment they thought, ‘She has committed a crime,’ and kicked her out of the house.

“So she left Vārāṇasī and set out for her father’s house, and in time she came to a mountain village. When she arrived she stopped there on the main road, and that evening she gave birth to the child. The birth pains were unbearable, and she lost consciousness.

“A certain householder lived nearby, and in his house there was a dog named Bhūta. The dog went out onto the road and saw the baby, and while the woman was still unconscious, he took up the baby in his teeth and returned with it to the house. The householder saw that the baby was well proportioned, pleasing to the eye, and beautiful, and immediately thought, ‘It’s okay for someone who doesn’t have children to make someone else’s child his own. Since I have neither son nor daughter, I can take this baby and raise it, and it will be as if it were my own.’

“With this in mind he said to his wife, ‘Sweet one, you know it’s okay for someone who doesn’t have children to make someone else’s child his own. Since we have neither son nor daughter, we can take this baby and raise it, and it will be as if it were our own. Here, take him in your lap. I will prepare an elaborate feast to celebrate his birth.’ So the woman put the baby on her lap and there it stayed. The householder beat his drum and prepared a feast to celebrate the baby’s birth.

“Earlier that morning, when her pain had subsided, the mother had woken up and thought, ‘I will pick up my baby,’ but the baby was nowhere to be found. At dawn, she began asking everyone who lived nearby, ‘Has anyone seen a baby?’ Those who had seen it said to her, ‘The householder so-and-so has a dog named Bhūta that carried your baby back to their house.’ The mother implored another woman, ‘Please! Go to that house and see if my baby is still alive!’ [F.140.b]

“The woman went to the house to see, and returned to inform the mother of what she saw‍—that the householders had taken the baby as if it were their own. The mother thought, ‘It’s not right if the baby and I both suffer. It’s better for the baby to stay where it is.’ With this thought, she left.

“She encountered some travelers along the way and traveled with them until bandits fell upon them. The leader of the bandits kidnapped the woman and brought her back to his dwelling to make her his mate. That night, the woman, not wanting to sleep with him, thought, ‘I have to find a way to prevent him from taking my hand, no matter what.’ She disheveled her hair, put on blue clothes, and smeared her face and teeth with red lac dye. Then she hefted a sword, entered the cave where he lived, and waited. The man entered the cave, thinking, ‘Now I’ll have a good time with that woman,’ but just then the woman charged at him, brandishing the sword, and cried out, ‘You’ll never escape from here!’

“Terrified, the man threw himself at her feet. ‘Kind woman,’ he pleaded, ‘I beg you, please spare my life!’

The woman replied, ‘There is only one way to stop me from killing you. If you never act on your desire for me‍—not now, not ever‍—nor tell anyone I am here, then I will spare your life.’

“ ‘As you wish,’ said the leader of the bandits.

“They swore an oath, and the woman remained there in his dwelling. Eventually the leader of the bandits began to wonder, ‘How long must I provide for her? I will find a clever way to sell her off.’ So he sold her off to a sex worker.

“The sex worker told her, ‘Sweet girl, from now on you’re staying right here and you will be a sex worker.’ [F.141.a]

“ ‘A sex worker!’ the woman retorted. ‘I couldn’t bear to touch any man!’

“ ‘I purchased you to be a sex worker, and at a very high price,’ the sex worker said. ‘Why would I have any other need for you?’

“The woman thought, ‘I must find a way to trick her.’ So she made her herself look like a demoness, just as before, and charged at the sex worker.

“ ‘The Demoness of the Dark Forest has entered your house!’ she cried. ‘How will you ever survive?’

“Terrified, the sex worker threw herself at her feet. ‘Please, spare my life!’ she pleaded.

“ ‘There is only one way to stop me from killing you.’ the woman replied, ‘If, while I am here, you don’t force me to engage in such work and never tell anyone about me, then I will spare your life.’

“ ‘As you wish,’ said the sex worker.

“They swore an oath, and soon enough everyone knew that there was a Demoness of the Dark Forest living at sex worker so-and-so’s house. They were all afraid of her, so no one would ever go there. The sex worker began to wonder, ‘Is there any way to get her out of my house?’

“In the meantime the woman’s baby had grown, and the householders had named him Bhūta too. As he grew up he studied letters, tallying, and arithmetic; the study of seals, lending, deposits, and commerce; and the examination of cloth, jewels, gems, incense, medicine, elephants, horses, and arms and armor. He became skilled in writing, skilled at reading, learned, decisive, and industrious, a master of the eight types of examination.

“One day, after the child’s [F.141.b] adoptive father died, the child thought, ‘Now that Father has died, I will take over his business.’ So he loaded up his wares and traveled abroad with some merchants until they eventually came to the place where his mother was. When they arrived in the city, they laid down their wares and set up camp not far from the sex worker’s house.

“The woman asked the arriving merchants, ‘Do any of you know a merchant’s son from such-and-such a place?’

“They replied, ‘There is one merchant captain named Bhūta whose father recently passed away.’

“A little later she asked his companions and they pointed him out saying, ‘That’s the one they call Bhūta.’

“ ‘Why did his father name him Bhūta?’ the woman asked.

“ ‘The householder had a dog named Bhūta who carried the child in from the road and gave it to him,’ the young men said to her. ‘That’s why his name is Bhūta too.’

“Suddenly the woman thought, ‘That’s my child!’ She went to the young man, told him the whole story, and concluded, saying, ‘And that’s how it is that you’re my child, and I am your mother.’ When he heard all this the young man paid the sex worker to release his mother and brought her into his own home.

“Meanwhile, the young man’s birth father had also completed his sea voyage and returned to his parents’ house. He embraced his father and mother, put his things inside, and then went to his home, where his wife was nowhere to be found. He questioned his parents. Referring to his wife, whose father’s name was Vāṣpa, he said, ‘Father and Mother, Vāṣpa’s daughter isn’t here. Where has she gone?’

“ ‘That girl had no respect for you,’ they replied. ‘She committed a crime, so we threw her out of the house and drove her away.’

“The young man fumed, ‘That was my child in her womb! [F.142.a] You were wrong to throw her out!’ He went away in anger, demanding, ‘Where has Vāṣpa’s daughter gone?’ He called out as he went, asking everyone he saw, ‘Have you seen Vāṣpa’s daughter?’ No matter what his parents did, they could not calm him down. By the time his wife and son returned he was destitute, naked, and wandering about.

“The son came to the door of his house, and seeing a man destitute and naked wandering about, said to his mother, ‘Mother, there is a madman wandering about asking, ‘Where has Vāṣpa’s daughter gone?’ When she heard this, at first she was doubtful. ‘No, it cannot be my lord,’ she said. But when she went to see for herself, she recognized him right away. She brought him into her own home and said, ‘Lord, it’s me. I am Vāṣpa’s daughter.’

“When he heard her he immediately came to his senses. The woman said to him, ‘Lord, I am your wife. This is your son. Come inside‍—we’re home now.’ The woman bathed him, trimmed his mustache, and put clothes on him. At long last he was home.

“O monks, what do you think? The one who was that woman then is none other than Dharmadinnā. At that time she was admired by many men, but she maintained her celibacy despite great adversity. Now as well she is admired by many men and has maintained her celibacy despite great adversity.” [B12]

When the Blessed One was in Śrāvastī, it was Venerable Maudgalyāyana’s custom to wander from time to time among the hell beings, to wander among the anguished spirits, to wander among the animals, to wander among the humans, and to wander among the gods.

When he returned, [F.142.b] he would relate to people how the hell beings suffer through being cut up, hacked apart, beaten, roasted, and so on. When he returned, he would also relate to people how the anguished spirits suffer through hunger, thirst, being burned, being incinerated, being cooked, and so on; how animals suffer as they eat one another; how human beings suffer through striving, anger, and exhaustion; and how the gods suffer through dying, falling, disintegrating, and decaying. Those who heard him were filled with sorrow, and from this sorrow they went on to achieve great things.

One day Venerable Maudgalyāyana prepared himself to wander among the animals, disappeared from Śrāvastī, and stood on the seashore.

Now the great ocean has three strata. The first stratum of water is 28,000 yojanas deep, and in that stratum dwell the sea creatures known as timi, whose bodies are 700 yojanas in length. Whenever they get hungry they rise from this first stratum of water, surfacing with mouths agape. Any smaller living beings present there spill with the water into their mouths. When they have filled their stomachs, they filter the water back out through their teeth and then eat the living beings that remain in their stomachs. The second stratum of water is 25,000 yojanas deep, and in that stratum dwell the sea creatures known as timiṅgila, whose bodies are 1,400 yojanas in length. Whenever they get hungry they rise up through the first and second strata of water to feed. The third stratum of water is 25,000 yojanas deep, and in that stratum dwell the sea creatures known as timiṅgilagila. Their bodies [F.143.a] are enormous, measuring 2,100 yojanas. Whenever they get hungry they rise up through the first, second, and third strata of water to feed.

Now at that time in the great ocean a sea creature of the kind called timiṅgila was born, and the other sea creatures, great and small, gathered around him. Again and again they cut his body into pieces‍—some one league long, some two leagues, some three leagues, and some up to one hundred yojanas in length‍—and fed on him, causing him dreadful suffering and extreme, excruciating, unbearable agony.

All this suffering exhausted him, so he emerged onto dry land hoping for some respite. But when he emerged onto dry land, due to his past actions, five hundred yakṣas appeared, and for five hundred days with five hundred axes they hacked off his ribs one by one. Once all his ribs had been cut away in this manner, unable to bear the pain, he let loose a great cry and rolled back into the great ocean. All of this bleeding and rolling about agitated the great ocean, roiling it up until it looked like an ocean of blood. And now that he had fallen back into it, the other creatures fed on him again. No matter whether he emerged onto dry land or stayed in the water, he suffered dreadfully.

Venerable Mahā­maudgalyāyana thought, “What action did this being take that ripened into such suffering?” Though he went deep into equipoise and reached the far limits of concentration, he could not see an end to the lives in which this being had died from one animal rebirth and transmigrated, only to take birth as an animal again and meet with the very same suffering. He thought, “Who apart from the Blessed One could explain his deeds to me? For his [F.143.b] wisdom and vision are unimpeded, and his wisdom and vision are infinite.”

He disappeared from the shore of the great ocean and traveled to Śrāvastī, where the Blessed One sat teaching the Dharma amid a company of hundreds. Then Venerable Maudgalyāyana thought, “It is time to put my question to the Blessed One, so that many might become disillusioned with saṃsāra.” He approached the Blessed One, touched his head to the Blessed One’s feet, and took a seat at one side.

Once he had taken a seat at one side, Venerable Mahā­maudgalyāyana inquired of the Blessed One, “Lord, it is my custom to wander from time to time among the hell beings, to wander among the anguished spirits, to wander among the animals, to wander among the humans, and to wander among the gods.

“When I return I relate to people how the hell beings suffer through being cut up, hacked apart, beaten, roasted, and so on. When I return I also relate to people how the anguished spirits suffer through hunger, thirst, being burned, being incinerated, being cooked, and so on; how animals suffer as they eat one another; how human beings suffer through striving, anger, and exhaustion; and how the gods suffer through dying, falling, disintegrating, and decaying. Because of this, the people who hear me are filled with sorrow, and from this sorrow they go on to achieve great things.

“Lord, after preparing to wander among the animals, I disappeared from Śrāvastī and stood on the shore of the sea. Lord, while I was there, I saw a being whose body was 2,100 yojanas in length. What is more, [F.144.a] the other sea creatures, great and small, gathered around him. Again and again they cut his body into pieces‍—some one league long, some two leagues, some three leagues, and some up to one hundred yojanas in length‍—and fed on him. This caused him dreadful suffering and extreme, excruciating, unbearable agony.

“All this suffering exhausted him, and he emerged onto dry land hoping for some respite. But when he emerged onto dry land, due to his past actions five hundred yakṣas appeared, and for five hundred days with five hundred axes they hacked off his ribs one by one. Once all his ribs had been cut away in this manner, unable to bear the pain he let loose a great cry and rolled back into the great ocean. All of this bleeding and rolling about agitated the great ocean, roiling it up until it looked like an ocean of blood. And now that he had fallen back into it, the creatures fed on him again. No matter whether he emerged onto dry land or stayed in the water, he suffered dreadfully.

“Lord, what action did this being take that ripened into his taking birth among the animals and meeting with such suffering?”

“Maudgalyāyana,” the Blessed One explained, “that being committed nonvirtuous actions over and over again. He committed many nonvirtuous actions.

“Maudgalyāyana, in times past, when the totally and completely awakened Buddha Parvata, who far surpassed the listeners and the solitary buddhas, was in the world, there was a householder who found faith in the doctrine of the totally and completely awakened Buddha Parvata, heard the Dharma from him, and manifested the resultant state of non-return.

“His wife was very well proportioned, pleasing to the eye, and beautiful. Her husband told her, ‘Sweet one, I [F.144.b] have received from the Blessed One the five precepts for practicing the holy life.99 If you wish to remain here at home, I shall provide you with food and clothes. But if it is another man you desire, I shall relinquish you to him.’

“ ‘Lord, I need no other man,’ she said. ‘I shall love and honor only my lord.’

“Many men were captivated by the woman because of her fine figure. There was a petty official living in the area who thought, ‘How could I ever get together with that woman?’ So one day, laden with gold and silver, he went to see her husband, the lay vow holder, bringing with him a host of witnesses.

“ ‘Householder,” he said, “I must leave on a matter of royal concern. I cannot forward these articles there. I entrust them to you until my return.’ The householder, being an upright person, accepted all the articles in the presence of the witnesses. The petty official, putting everything in his hands, then returned to his house.

“Some time later, he returned to the lay vow holder, saying, ‘Householder, give me the articles that I entrusted to you,’ and the householder returned everything to him, with no witnesses present. The man stowed the articles at his own house again and then brought all the witnesses back to see the lay vow holder and said, ‘Householder, please return to me the king’s property that I entrusted to you.’

“ ‘I’ve already given it to you,’ replied the lay vow holder.

“ ‘I have received nothing from you,’ said the petty official. Turning to the witnesses, he exclaimed, ‘See how this lay vow holder acts! Would he have given all those articles back to me when we were alone, after I handed them to him with you as our witnesses?’

[F.145.a] “After he said this, he led the man to the royal palace and had him legally convicted. Then he brought him back to his own house, where he beat him with a strip of wet leather, bound him tightly, and broke all his ribs, which was enough to cause his death.

“The man’s son was not home, so the petty official commandeered not only the possessions of the house but the man’s wife as well. ‘It’s for your sake that I committed all these misdeeds, my dear,’ he told her. ‘So I am the man of the house now, and you are my wife.’

“To this the lay vow holder’s wife replied, ‘How can we be together when I haven’t even performed the ritual veneration of my husband’s remains? First let me venerate his remains for a time. After that, lord, I shall do as you please.’

“No sooner was this said than the petty official bore the lay vow holder’s remains to the charnel ground and incinerated them. As he sat there with his back to her, the woman leapt into the burning fire and died on the spot. At this the petty official began to brood, thinking, ‘Such wrongs I have committed, one after the other! Meeting that woman was of no benefit. Not only did I commit such senseless acts, but now she’s gone.’

“O monks, what do you think? The one who was that petty official then is none other than this sea creature. The act of beating the lay vow holder with a wet strip of leather and causing his death ripened such that the petty official took rebirth as a hell being, where he underwent the sufferings of the hell beings for thousands upon thousands of years. When he died, he transmigrated and took rebirth among the animals, dying from among the animals only to transmigrate and take birth among the animals again. Such are his sufferings.”

Then Venerable Maudgalyāyana inquired of the Blessed One, “Lord, when will this being [F.145.b] be liberated from his suffering?”

“Maudgalyāyana,” the Blessed One replied, “in the future a totally and completely awakened buddha named Sumati, who will far surpass the listeners and the solitary buddhas, will emerge in the world. At that distant time the actions of this being will be exhausted. After attaining a human birth, he will go forth solely in the doctrine of Sumati, cast away the afflictive emotions, and manifest arhatship. Then his suffering will come to an end.”

As soon as they heard this, the people gathered there welled up with grief. The Blessed One directly apprehended their grief, taught them the Dharma accordingly, and among the assembled some generated heat right where they sat. Some generated the peak, or generated the patience in accord with the truths, or generated the highest worldly dharma, or generated the attainment of seeing. Some manifested the resultant state of stream entry. Some manifested the resultant state of once-return. Some manifested the resultant state of non-return. Some went forth and manifested arhatship. Some sowed the seeds to become universal monarchs, some to become great universal monarchs, some to become Indra, some to become Brahmā, some for the enlightenment of the listeners, some for the enlightenment of the solitary buddhas, and some for unexcelled, total, and complete enlightenment. Among the assembled, most found themselves drawn to the Buddha, intent on the Dharma, and favoring the Saṅgha.

When the Blessed One was in Śrāvastī, it was Venerable Maudgalyāyana’s custom to wander from time to time among the hell beings, to wander among the anguished [F.146.a] spirits, to wander among the animals, to wander among the humans, and to wander among the gods.

When he returned, he would relate to people how the hell beings suffer through being cut up, hacked apart, beaten, roasted, and so on. When he returned, he would also relate to people how the anguished spirits suffer through hunger, thirst, being burned, being incinerated, being cooked, and so on; how animals suffer as they eat one another; how human beings suffer through striving, anger, and exhaustion; and how the gods suffer through dying, falling, disintegrating, and decaying. Those who heard him were filled with sorrow, and from this sorrow they went on to achieve great things.

One day Venerable Mahā­maudgalyāyana prepared himself to wander among the anguished spirits, disappeared from Śrāvastī, and stood on the seashore, where there lay an anguished spirit with an enormous body. The lower half looked very ordinary, but from the waist up it was like two separate bodies. He was on fire, burning all over, covered in flames, and he lurched all about until, due to his past actions, lions, tigers, leopards, bears, and the like, all with fangs of iron, appeared and tore into his flesh over and over again and fed on him.

Humans appeared there due to his past actions as well, and they took up sharp swords and hacked at his upper body. While they hacked away at one side of his upper body, the other side would regenerate, and when they hacked away at the other side, the first side would regenerate. This caused him dreadful suffering and extreme, excruciating, unbearable agony, and he let loose great cries. As he tried to flee, the humans who appeared due to his past actions pursued him.

Seeing all this, Mahā­maudgalyāyana thought, “What action [F.146.b] did this being take that ripened into such suffering?” When he examined that being’s past lives, he saw that after going forth in the doctrine of the totally and completely awakened Buddha Kāśyapa, the spirit had acted as steward for the monks. But then he cut off the monks in rainy season retreat from all material support and clothing and offered it to the monks in winter retreat. Then he cut off the monks in winter retreat from all material support and clothing and offered it to the monks in rainy season retreat. Finally, he cut off both from all material support and clothing, used some of it for himself, and offered the rest to others.

Venerable Mahā­maudgalyāyana thought, “Though indeed I can see his past actions clearly, still I shall ask the Blessed One about this so that many might become disillusioned with saṃsāra.”

He disappeared from the shore of the great ocean and traveled to Śrāvastī, where the Blessed One sat teaching the Dharma amid a company of hundreds. Then Venerable Mahā­maudgalyāyana, seeing that the Blessed One was teaching the Dharma amid a company of hundreds, thought, “Now is the time to request the Blessed One to explain about that anguished spirit.” He approached the Blessed One, touched his head to the Blessed One’s feet, and took a seat at one side.

Once he had taken a seat at one side, Venerable Mahā­maudgalyāyana inquired of the Blessed One, “Lord, it is my custom to wander from time to time among the hell beings, to wander among the anguished spirits, to wander among the animals, to wander among the humans, and to wander among the gods.

“When I return I relate to people how the hell beings suffer through being cut up, hacked apart, beaten, roasted, and so on. When I return I also relate to people how the anguished spirits suffer through hunger, thirst, [F.147.a] being burned, being incinerated, being cooked, and so on; how animals suffer as they eat one another; how human beings suffer through striving, anger, and exhaustion; and how the gods suffer through dying, falling, disintegrating, and decaying. Because of this, the people who hear me are filled with sorrow, and from this sorrow they go on to achieve great things.

“Lord, as I was wandering among the anguished spirits, I saw an anguished spirit with an enormous body. The lower end looked very ordinary, but from the waist up it was like two separate bodies. He was on fire, burning all over, and covered in flames, and he lurched all about until, due to his past actions, lions, tigers, leopards, bears, and the like, all with fangs of iron, appeared and tore into his flesh over and over again and fed on him.

“Humans appeared there due to his past actions as well, and they took up sharp swords and hacked at his upper body. While they hacked away at one side of his upper body, the other side would regenerate, and when they hacked away at the other side, the first side would regenerate. This caused him dreadful suffering and extreme, excruciating, unbearable agony, and he let loose a great cry. As he tried to flee, the humans who appeared due to his past actions pursued him.

“Lord, what action did this anguished spirit take that ripened into his meeting with such suffering?”

“Maudgalyāyana,” the Blessed One explained, “that being committed nonvirtuous actions over and over again. He committed many nonvirtuous actions.

“Maudgalyāyana, in times past, in this fortunate eon, when people lived as long as twenty thousand years, and the totally and completely awakened buddha possessed of insight and perfect conduct, the sugata, the knower of the world, [F.147.b] the tamer of persons, the charioteer, the unsurpassed one, the teacher of humans and gods, the blessed buddha known as Kāśyapa was in the world, that being went forth in his doctrine. He acted as steward for the monks, but then he cut off the monks in rainy season retreat from all material support and clothing and offered it to the monks in winter retreat. Then he cut off the monks in winter retreat from all material support and clothing and offered it to the monks in rainy season retreat. Finally, he cut off both from all material support and clothing, used some of it for himself, and offered the rest to others.

“Maudgalyāyana, what do you think? The one who provided for those monks then is none other than this anguished spirit. At that time he cut off the monks in rainy season retreat from all material support and clothing and offered it to the monks in winter retreat. Then he cut off the monks in winter retreat from all material support and clothing and offered it to the monks in rainy season retreat. Those acts ripened such that this being was like two separate bodies from the waist up, and humans appeared due to his past actions who took up sharp swords and hacked at his upper body. While they hacked away at one side of his upper body, the other side would regenerate, and when they hacked away at the other side, the first side would regenerate.

“The act of finally cutting off both from all material support and clothing,100 using some of it for himself, and offering the rest to others ripened such that there fell upon him lions, tigers, leopards, bears, and the like, all with fangs of iron, that tore into his flesh over and over again and fed on him, causing him dreadful suffering and extreme, excruciating, unbearable agony until he let loose a great cry, and that as he tried to flee, the humans who appeared due to his past actions pursued him.”

Then Venerable Mahā­maudgalyāyana inquired of the Blessed One, “Lord, when will this being be released from this suffering?”

“Maudgalyāyana,” the Blessed One replied, “in the future a totally and completely awakened buddha named Aparājita, who will far surpass the listeners and the solitary buddhas, will emerge in the world. At that distant time the actions of this being [F.148.a] will be exhausted. After he attains a human birth, he will go forth in the doctrine of Aparājita alone, cast away the afflictive emotions, and manifest arhatship. Then his suffering will come to an end.”

As soon as they heard this, the people gathered there welled up with grief. The Blessed One directly apprehended their grief, taught them the Dharma accordingly, and among the assembled some generated heat right where they sat. Some generated the peak, or generated the patience in accord with the truths, or generated the highest worldly dharma, or generated the attainment of seeing. Some manifested the resultant state of stream entry. Some manifested the resultant state of once-return. Some manifested the resultant state of non-return. Some went forth and manifested arhatship. Some sowed the seeds to become universal monarchs, some to become great universal monarchs, some to become Indra, some to become Brahmā, some for the enlightenment of the listeners, some for the enlightenment of the solitary buddhas, and some for unexcelled, total, and complete enlightenment. Among the assembled, most found themselves drawn to the Buddha, intent on the Dharma, and favoring the Saṅgha.