The Hundred Deeds
Part Six

When the Blessed One was in Śrāvastī, there lived a certain brahmin of high lineage called Majestic Body. He was prosperous and wealthy, a person of vast and magnificent means, endowed with the wealth of Vaiśravaṇa‍—with wealth to rival Vaiśravaṇa’s. When the time came for him to marry he took a wife, and they enjoyed themselves and coupled. As they enjoyed themselves and coupled, one day 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, with glowing, golden skin and a well-rounded head, long arms, a broad brow, a fine and prominent nose, and eyebrows that met. At the elaborate feast celebrating his birth they asked, “What name should we give this child?” And they named him according to their clan, saying, “Since this is the brahmin Majestic Body’s child, his name will be More Majestic.”

They reared young More Majestic on milk, yogurt, butter, ghee, and milk solids, and he flourished like a lotus in a lake. As he grew up he studied letters, brahminical customs and conduct, the syllables oṃ and bho, ritual purity, ritual actions, the collection of ashes, holding the ritual vase, the Ṛg Veda, the Yajur Veda, the Sāma Veda, the Atharva Veda, how to perform sacrificial rites, how to lead others in performing sacrificial rites, how to give and receive offerings, recitation, and recitation instruction. [F.252.a] Trained in these procedures, he became a master of the six types of brahminical activities, and in time he mastered the eighteen sciences and he could defeat anyone in debate.

One day the brahmin Majestic Body had the thought, “I shall perform a sacrifice.” Then another idea occurred to him: “The ascetic Gautama is omniscient and all-seeing, and that being the case, there is nothing he does not know‍—there is nothing in the past, present, or future that he does not see, know, or directly perceive. Since it wouldn’t be right for any part of my sacrifice to be lacking , I shall ask the ascetic Gautama about it first.”

At that he mounted a chariot drawn by a white mare. Bearing a golden staff and a golden water pitcher, and surrounded by a company of young brahmins, he left Śrāvastī and traveled to the garden of Prince Jeta. He went as far as he could by chariot, then descended and continued to the garden on foot. He proceeded to where the Blessed One was and when he arrived he made all manner of entertaining and jovial conversation with the Blessed One. When they were finished, he took a seat at one side.

Once he had taken a seat at one side, the brahmin Majestic Body asked the Blessed One, “Gautama, I have started a great sacrifice, and to perform that great sacrifice I have tied five hundred of the finest bulls to a post, as well as cattle, male and female buffalo, riding horses, calves, young calves, goats, sheep, and even insects. For the sacrifice I have also arrayed a great deal of food and drink and invited ascetics from the neighboring kingdoms, and brahmins from foreign lands, other regions, and other valleys. So that my sacrifice [F.252.b] is effective, I have come to Śrāvastī, and I ask the Blessed One to please explain whether any part of my sacrifice may be lacking.”

The Blessed One taught him the Dharma that accorded with him, taking only his sacrifice as the point of departure. As a result the brahmin Majestic Body and his son More Majestic both 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.

Then More Majestic said, “After this, of what use are ceremonies to us brahmins?”

“More Majestic, don’t say such things,” the brahmin Majestic Body replied. “Now we’ll offer food to the Buddha and the rest of the saṅgha of monks, and after we’ve made those offerings we can give the leftovers to the brahmins.”

“As you wish, preceptor,” More Majestic said.

The brahmin Majestic Body rose from his seat, drew down the right shoulder of his upper garment, bowed toward the Blessed One with palms pressed together, and requested the Blessed One, “Blessed One, please permit me to invite you, together with the saṅgha of monks, to take tomorrow’s meal at the sacrificial site.” The Blessed One assented to the brahmin Majestic Body by his silence.

Understanding that by his silence the Blessed One had given his assent, the brahmin Majestic Body then touched his head to the Blessed One’s feet and took leave of him. When he arrived at the site of the sacrifice he released his entire fine herd‍—cattle, male and female buffalo, riding horses, calves, young calves, goats, sheep, and all the different insects as well‍—saying, “As you travel to the four directions whence the cool air appears, from this day forth may you all eat of the finest, unwilted plants, [F.253.a] and drink from placid, tranquil, clear waters.” He released all the different insects as well.152

After preparing many good, wholesome foods that night, he rose the next morning, 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 holy robes, and, carrying his alms bowl, he set out for the brahmin Majestic Body’s reception room, surrounded and escorted by an assembly of monks. Once the brahmin Majestic Body and the brahmin child More Majestic knew that the Buddha and the rest of the saṅgha of monks were comfortably seated, by their own hands they contented them with many good, wholesome foods, proffering all that they wished. Having by their own hands contented them with many different kinds of good, wholesome food, proffering all that they wished, they offered each of them a set of clothes. Once they knew that the Blessed One had finished eating and that his bowl had been taken away and his hands washed, they sat before the Blessed One to listen to the Dharma. After the Blessed One had instructed, encouraged, inspired, and delighted them with a Dharma teaching he rose from his seat and departed.

After the Blessed One had departed, all the brahmins at the site of the sacrifice were irate. They said, “Look‍—everything that was prepared for the sacrifice has been given to the ascetic Gautama.”

When the brahmin Majestic Body [F.253.b] heard they were angry, he immediately approached the brahmins and said, “What harm has the ascetic Gautama done to you? I shall repay you for the offerings you set out.”

“We no longer need your offerings,” said the brahmins, for they were going to kill both father and child.

“They’re coming to kill us,” the father and child thought, so they both fled. They traveled to the garden of Prince Jeta, where they went to see the Blessed One. When they arrived they touched their heads to the Blessed One’s feet and told him the story in detail. Then they requested, “Lord, let us give up living at home. Lord, if permitted we wish to go forth in the Dharma and Vinaya so well spoken, complete our novitiates, and achieve full ordination. In the presence of the Blessed One, we too wish to practice the holy life.”

With the words “Come, join me, monks!” the Blessed One led them to go forth as novices, conferred on them full ordination, and instructed them. Having cast away all afflictive emotions through diligence, practice, and effort, they manifested arhatship.

“Lord,” the monks requested the Blessed One, “tell us why the brahmins were going to put the brahmin Majestic Body and the brahmin child More Majestic to death, which was enough for them to become disillusioned with saṃsāra so that they went forth, cast away all afflictive emotions, and manifested arhatship.”

“Not only now,” the Blessed One explained, “but in times past as well, and in the same way, the brahmins were going to put them to death, and that was enough for them to become disillusioned with saṃsāra so that they went forth and practiced the holy life. Listen well!

“Monks, [F.254.a] 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 as a certain brahmin who was preparing a sacrifice. Another brahmin began to quarrel with him, became irate, and stabbed the brahmin with a weapon until that brahmin died from his stab wounds. This angered all the other brahmins, who said, ‘Never again will we make use of your gifts.’ No longer considering him a brahmin, they went on to curse him and prepared to kill him.

“He and his son fled in fear of the other brahmins. They traveled to Ṛṣivadana and went forth in the presence of the totally and completely awakened Buddha Kāśyapa. Thereupon they practiced pure conduct all their lives, and though they did not achieve any great virtues, at the time of their deaths they prayed, ‘While we may not have attained any great virtues, still we have gone forth like this in the doctrine of the totally and completely awakened Buddha Kāśyapa and practiced pure conduct all our lives. Therefore, may we please and not displease Uttara, the young brahmin prophesied by the totally and completely awakened Buddha Kāśyapa to be the next blessed buddha. May we go forth in his doctrine, cast away all afflictive emotions, and manifest arhatship.’

“O monks, what do you think? The brahmins who were father and son then, and went forth in the doctrine of the totally and completely awakened Buddha Kāśyapa, are none other than the brahmins Majestic Body and More Majestic. At that time the brahmins were going to put them both to death, [F.254.b] and then, terrified of dying, they went forth and practiced pure conduct all their lives. Now as well, the brahmins were going to kill them both, and, terrified of dying, they have gone forth, cast away all afflictive emotions, and manifested arhatship.

“At that time they went forth, practiced pure conduct all their lives, and at the time of their deaths, they prayed, ‘May we please and not displease Uttara, the young brahmin prophesied by the totally and completely awakened Buddha Kāśyapa to be the next blessed buddha. May we go forth in his doctrine, cast away all afflictive emotions, 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 they have pleased me, not displeased me, gone forth in my very doctrine, cast away all afflictive emotions, and manifested arhatship.” [B22]

When the Blessed One was in Śrāvastī, a certain householder lived there. When the time came for him to marry he took a wife, and as they enjoyed themselves and coupled, one day 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. As time went on, the householder’s second son was born, and then a third, and so on up to seven. At the elaborate feasts celebrating their births, they named them according to their clan.

They reared them on milk, yogurt, butter, ghee, and milk solids, and when they were [F.255.a] grown they 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. They became skilled at writing, skilled at reading, learned, decisive, and industrious, masters of the eight types of examination.

One day the father told them, “Heed what I say‍—entrust yourselves to the householder Anāthapiṇḍada, for he will benefit you in this life and the next.”

Six of his sons replied, “What is the use of entrusting ourselves to the householder Anāthapiṇḍada?” and they did not heed his word. One son began to favor Pūraṇa Kāśyapa, the second liked Maskarin Gośālīputra, the third liked Saṃjayin Vairaṭīputra, the fourth liked Ajita Keśakambala, the fifth liked Kakuda Kātyāyana, and the sixth liked Nirgrantha Jñātiputra.153 The seventh did heed his father’s word, however, and entrusted himself to the householder Anāthapiṇḍada. Having entrusted himself to him, he delighted in the doctrine of the Blessed One, went for refuge, and took the fundamental precepts.

Later the householder’s eldest son invited Pūraṇa Kāśyapa and gave him food, the second invited Maskarin Gośālīputra and gave him food, the third invited Saṃjayin Vairaṭīputra and gave him food, the fourth invited Ajita Keśakambala and gave him food, the fifth invited Kakuda Kātyāyana and gave him food, and the sixth invited Nirgrantha Jñātiputra and gave him food. At this the seventh said to his elder brothers, [F.255.b] “Each of you has given food to his own teacher. I shall likewise offer provisions to the Blessed One. You all should help me.”

The young man extended an invitation to the Buddha and the rest of the saṅgha of monks, and that night he prepared many good, wholesome foods. In the morning the young man 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, until they arrived at the householder’s reception room. He took his place on the seat prepared for him there amid the saṅgha of monks.

When the householder, his sons, and his servants knew that the Buddha and the rest of the saṅgha of monks were comfortably seated, by their own hands they contented them with many good, wholesome foods, proffering all that they wished. Having by their own hands contented the Buddha and the saṅgha of monks with many good, wholesome foods, proffering all that they wished, once the householder, his sons, and his servants knew that they had finished eating, that their bowls had been taken away and their hands washed, they brought in very low seats and sat before the Blessed One to listen to the Dharma.

Then the Blessed One, directly apprehending the thoughts, habitual tendencies, temperament, capacity, and nature of the householder, his sons, and his servants, taught them the Dharma accordingly. Upon hearing 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.

After seeing the truths, they rose from their seats, drew down the right shoulder [F.256.a] of their upper garments, bowed toward the Blessed One with palms pressed together, and said to the Blessed One, “Because of you, Blessed One, we have been lifted up from among the hell beings, animals, and anguished spirits. Leading us to live among the gods and humans, you have dried up the ocean of blood and tears, led us over the mountain pass of bones, slammed shut the doors to lower births, and swung wide open the doors to the god realms and liberation. You have brought to an end the afflictive emotions to which we have been accustomed since beginningless time, pacifying them, tossing them aside, and casting them away. Blessed One, for as long as we live, may you and the rest of the saṅgha of monks please accept from us your provisions of clothing, food, bedding, seats, and medicines for the sick.” The Blessed One replied, “Householder, please relent‍—there are others who also need my help,” and departed.

After the Blessed One had departed, the householder’s sons thought, “We will give up living at home to go forth.” They asked for their parents’ permission and went to see the Blessed One. Upon their arrival they touched their heads to the Blessed One’s feet, drew down the right shoulder of their upper garments, bowed toward the Blessed One with palms pressed together, and made this request of the Blessed One, “Lord, if permitted we wish to go forth in the Dharma and Vinaya so well spoken, complete our novitiate, and achieve full ordination. In the presence of the Blessed One, we too wish to practice the holy life.”

With the words “Come, join me, monks! Practice the holy life,” the Blessed One led them to go forth as novices, conferred on them full ordination, and instructed them. Casting away all afflictive emotions through diligence, practice, and effort, they manifested arhatship. As arhats, free from the attachments of the three realms, [F.256.b] their minds regarded gold no differently than filth, and the palms of their hands were like space itself. They became cool like wet sandalwood. Their insight crushed ignorance like an eggshell. They achieved the insights, superknowledges, and discriminations. They had no regard for worldly profit, passion, or acclaim. Their state was such that Indra, Upendra, and the other gods worshiped and venerated them and addressed them with respect.

“Lord,” the monks requested the Blessed Buddha, “tell us why six of the householder’s seven children had divergent views and could not agree with each other until the youngest brother brought them around to a single view and they all went forth in the doctrine of the Blessed One, cast away all afflictive emotions, and manifested arhatship.”

“Not only now,” the Blessed One explained, “but in times past as well, and in the same way, the other six brothers could not come to an agreement until the youngest brother alone brought them into agreement and all of them went forth in the presence of a sage and generated the four meditative states and five superknowledges. Listen well!

“Monks, in times gone by, the seven kings of the central country each reigned in their own lands. None of them was friendly with the others, and from time to time a great many people were killed. One day King Brahmadatta of Kāśi thought, ‘How can I restore relations among the kings of these neighboring lands?’

“At that time in the land of Brahmadatta, king of Kāśi, there was a sage living in a certain hermitage who had all five superknowledges, a person of great miracles and great power. King Brahmadatta thought, ‘If I call upon that sage, he can restore relations between them.’ [F.257.a] He went to see the sage, bowed down at his feet, and said, ‘The six neighboring kings are not friendly with one another, and from time to time a great many people are killed. It would be right of you to restore relations between them.’ The sage assented to King Brahmadatta by his silence. Understanding that by his silence the sage had given his assent, King Brahmadatta bowed down at his feet and departed.

“One day the six kings arrayed all four divisions of their armies and advanced on Vārāṇasī. With the four divisions of their armies all arrayed, they completely surrounded the city in siege, whereupon Brahmadatta, king of Kāśi, sent word to the sage. As soon as he heard, the sage traveled through the sky from his dwelling to the very place where the six kings were encamped.

“Upon seeing the sage, all six kṣatriya kings were immediately overcome with joy toward him. In their joy they went to see the sage, and upon their arrival they bowed down at his feet and sat before him to listen to the Dharma. After he taught them the Dharma, the sage got them all to form a truce. After having made a truce, they resolved to go forth in the presence of the sage. Each informed the other of his intention154 and traveled back to his own land. After each had abdicated in favor of his son, given gifts, and made merit, they all went forth in the presence of that sage. Having gone forth, they generated the four meditative states and five superknowledges.

“O monks, what do you think? I am the one who was that sage then, and lived the life of a bodhisattva. The six kings who disagreed with each other then are none other than the six brothers who could not come to an agreement now. [F.257.b] The one who was King Brahmadatta then is none other than the youngest son himself. At that time the sage brought them into agreement and they went forth before him, generating the four meditative states and five superknowledges. Six of the brothers had divergent views, were brought around to a single view, went forth, cast away all afflictive emotions, and manifested arhatship.”

“Lord,” the monks asked the Blessed One, “what action did the householder, his sons, and their servants take that ripened into their births into a family of great means, prosperity, and wealth; that they pleased and did not displease the Blessed One; and that they went forth in the doctrine of the Blessed One, cast away all afflictive emotions, and manifested arhatship?”

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

“When did they make these prayers?” they asked.

“Monks,” the Blessed One recounted, “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 householder in Vārāṇasī with six older sons who had divergent views and could not come to an agreement.

“The youngest of the sons delighted in the Buddha. He led his six older brothers to the doctrine of the totally and completely awakened Buddha Kāśyapa. All of them asked for their parents’ permission, went forth in the doctrine of the totally and completely awakened Buddha Kāśyapa, and practiced pure conduct all their lives. [F.258.a] At the time of their deaths they prayed, ‘May we please and not displease Uttara, the young brahmin prophesied by the totally and completely awakened Buddha Kāśyapa to be the next blessed buddha. May we go forth in his doctrine, cast away all afflictive emotions, and manifest arhatship.’

“The householder also gave gifts and made merit, went for refuge, and maintained the fundamental precepts all his life. At the time of his death, he prayed, ‘By this root of virtue, wherever I am born, may it be into a family of great means, prosperity, and wealth. At that time may these same seven children be my children. 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.’

“O monks, what do you think? The one who was that householder then is none other than this householder. The acts of giving gifts and making merit, taking refuge and maintaining the fundamental precepts, and praying at the time of his death ripened such that wherever he was born, it was into a family of great means, prosperity, and wealth; that he has pleased me and not displeased me; and that they alone were his sons. The sons also practiced the conduct that leads to enlightenment all their lives, and prayed at the time of their deaths.

“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 they have pleased me, not displeased me, gone forth in my very doctrine, [F.258.b] cast away all afflictive emotions, and manifested arhatship.”

Once, when the Blessed One was in Rājagṛha, Venerable Mahā­kāśyapa had spent a long time in a retreat hermitage. After the hair on his head and face had grown long and his clothes were worn out, he went to see the Blessed One. At that time the Blessed One sat amid a company of hundreds teaching the Dharma to the saṅgha of monks. The monks saw Venerable Mahā­kāśyapa from a distance and felt contempt for him. They thought, “A person who has gone forth‍—a monk‍—with long hair on his head and face, and so carelessly dressed, in such shoddy clothing! Where does he come from?”

The Blessed One directly apprehended their thoughts and reflected, “After my parinirvāṇa, the monk Kāśyapa will fulfill the purpose of my teaching. He will recount the Sūtras, Abhidharma, and Vinaya, yet these monks feel such contempt for him. I must settle this objection for them, for he will become a worthy object of worship and reverence, and be spoken of with respect by all the world with its gods and humans.”

The Blessed One addressed the monks, saying, “Monks, you should not feel such contempt for this monk. After my parinirvāṇa he will recount my teaching. He will perfectly recount the Tripiṭaka and propagate the way of the Dharma.”

Then the Blessed One addressed Venerable Mahā­kāśyapa, “Kāśyapa, come along! Welcome, Kāśyapa! Share this seat with me. Let us examine which of us first went forth‍—you or me?” [F.259.a]

All the monks felt horrible regret and their hair stood on end. “Venerable Mahā­kāśyapa has such great miraculous powers,” they said. “How wonderful that our teacher is sharing a seat with his disciple.”

Then Venerable Mahā­kāśyapa drew down the right shoulder of his upper garment, knelt down on his right knee, bowed toward the Blessed One with palms pressed together, and said, “Blessed One, you are my teacher. I am a disciple of the Blessed One. The Sugata is my teacher. I am a disciple of the Sugata.”

“Kāśyapa, so it is,” the Blessed One replied. “It is just as you say, Kāśyapa. I am your teacher, Kāśyapa. You are my disciple. Kāśyapa, wherever my seat may be, you shall sit upon it.” Venerable Mahā­kāśyapa touched his head to the Blessed One’s feet and took a seat at one side.

The Blessed One wished to make the monks greatly disillusioned with saṃsāra and to affirm Venerable Mahā­kāśyapa’s greatness in the Dharma, so he said to the monks, “Monks, should I wish to remain in the perfected state of the first concentration, which is secluded from craving, secluded from sinful and nonvirtuous factors, accompanied by initial consideration and subsequent analysis, and imbued with the joy and pleasure born of seclusion, I could remain in that state throughout the day, or throughout the night, or throughout a day and night, or for even two, three, or seven such days and nights.

“Monks, should the monk Kāśyapa wish to remain in the perfected state of the first concentration, which is secluded from craving, secluded from sinful and nonvirtuous factors, accompanied by initial consideration and subsequent analysis, and imbued with the joy and pleasure born of seclusion, the monk Kāśyapa too could remain in that state [F.259.b] for a day, or a night, or a day and night, or even two, three, or seven such days.

“Monks, should I wish to be free of initial consideration and subsequent analysis, inwardly serene, with single-pointed focus, and thereby abide in the perfected state of the second concentration, which is without initial consideration and subsequent analysis, and imbued with the joy and pleasure born of meditative stabilization, I could remain in that state for a day, or a night, or a day and night, or even two, three, or seven such days.

“Monks, should the monk Kāśyapa wish to be free of initial consideration and subsequent analysis, inwardly serene, with single-pointed focus, and thereby abide in the perfected state of the second concentration, which is without initial consideration and subsequent analysis, and imbued with the joy and pleasure born of meditative stabilization, the monk Kāśyapa too could remain in that state for a day, or a night, or a day and night, or even two, three, or seven such days.

“Monks, should I wish to be free from attachment to joy, and thereby settle in impartiality, with mindfulness, introspection, and physical pleasure, and become, as the noble ones say, ‘impartial, mindful, and at ease,’ to abide in the perfected state of the third concentration devoid of joy, I could remain in that state for a day, or a night, or a day and night, or even two, three, or seven such days.

“Monks, should the monk Kāśyapa wish to be free from attachment to joy, and thereby settle in impartiality, with mindfulness, introspection, and physical pleasure, and become, as the noble ones say, ‘impartial, mindful, and at ease,’ to abide in the perfected state of the third concentration devoid of joy, the monk Kāśyapa too could remain [F.260.a] in that state for a day, or a night, or a day and night, or even two, three, or seven such days.

“Monks, should I wish to relinquish pleasure and, having already given up pain, and with happiness and unhappiness also already gone, abide in the perfected state of the fourth concentration, with neither pleasure nor pain, and with pure impartiality and mindfulness, I could remain in that state for a day, or a night, or a day and night, or even two, three, or seven such days.

“Monks, should the monk Kāśyapa wish to relinquish pleasure and, having already given up pain, and with happiness and unhappiness also already gone, abide in the perfected state of the fourth concentration, with neither pleasure nor pain, and with pure impartiality and mindfulness, the monk Kāśyapa too could remain in that state for a day, or a night, or a day and night, or even two, three, or seven such days.

“Monks, should I wish to abide with a loving mind,155 which is free of hostility, enmity, and ill will, and which is lofty, expansive, nonjudgmental, immeasurable, and well developed, focused on one cardinal direction, pervading it to its very end, and then extend this loving mind, which is free of hostility, enmity, and ill will, and which is lofty, expansive, nonjudgmental, immeasurable, and well developed, to pervade to their very end the second cardinal direction, the third, the fourth, above, below, and straight ahead, encompassing the worlds in their entirety, monks, I could remain in that state for a day, or a night, or a day and night, or even two, three, or seven such days. [F.260.b]

“Monks, should the monk Kāśyapa wish to abide with a loving mind, which is free of hostility, enmity, and ill will, and which is lofty, expansive, nonjudgmental, immeasurable, and well developed, focused on one cardinal direction, pervading it to its very end, and then extend this loving mind, which is free of hostility, enmity, and ill will, and which is lofty, expansive, nonjudgmental, immeasurable, and well developed, to pervade to their very end the second cardinal direction, the third, the fourth, above, below, and straight ahead, encompassing the worlds in their entirety, the monk Kāśyapa too could remain in that state for a day, or a night, or a day and night, or even two, three, or seven such days.

“The mind suffused with compassion, joy, and equanimity can be elaborated in kind.

“Monks, should I wish to abide in the perfected state of the sphere of boundless space,156 in which I have transcended the perceptions of form in all respects, such that my perception of physical barriers has vanished, and, no longer bringing to mind the perceptions of diversity, I recognize this to be the sphere of boundless space, I could remain in that state for a day, or a night, or a day and night, or even two, three, or seven such days.

“Monks, should the monk Kāśyapa wish to abide in the perfected state of the sphere of boundless space, in which he has transcended the perceptions of form in all respects, such that his perception of material barriers has vanished, and, no longer bringing to mind the perceptions of diversity, he recognizes this to be the sphere of boundless space, the monk Kāśyapa too could remain in that state for a day, or a night, or a day and night, [F.261.a] or even two, three, or seven such days.

“Monks, should I wish to abide in the perfected state of the sphere of boundless consciousness, in which I have transcended the sphere of boundless space and recognize this to be the sphere of boundless consciousness, I could remain in that state for a day, or a night, or a day and night, or even two, three, or seven such days.

“Monks, should the monk Kāśyapa wish to abide in the perfected state of the sphere of boundless consciousness, in which he has transcended the sphere of boundless space in all respect and recognizes this to be the sphere of boundless consciousness, the monk Kāśyapa too could remain in that state for a day, or a night, or a day and night, or even two, three, or seven such days.

“Monks, should I wish to abide in the perfected state of the sphere of nothing whatsoever, in which I have transcended the sphere of boundless consciousness in all respects and recognize this to be nothing whatsoever, I could remain in that state for a day, or a night, or a day and night, or even two, three, or seven such days.

“Monks, should the monk Kāśyapa wish to abide in the perfected state of the sphere of nothing whatsoever, in which he has transcended the sphere of boundless consciousness in all respects and recognizes this to be nothing whatsoever, the monk Kāśyapa too could remain in that state for a day, or a night, or a day and night, or even two, three, or seven such days.

“Monks, should I wish to abide in the perfected state of the sphere of neither perception nor non-perception, in which I have transcended the sphere of nothing whatsoever in all respects, I could remain in that state for a day, or a night, or a day and night, or even two, three, or seven such days.

“Monks, should the monk Kāśyapa wish to abide in the perfected state of the sphere of neither perception nor non-perception, in which he has transcended the sphere of nothing whatsoever in all respects, the monk Kāśyapa too could remain in that state for a day, or a night, or a day and night, [F.261.b] or even two, three, or seven such days.

“Monks, when I wish to do so, I can employ a vast array of miracles. With clear understanding and knowledge of how to materialize and dematerialize I become one and then become many, and having become many, I then become one. I pass directly through walls. I pass directly through enclosed spaces. Bodily I pass directly through mountains, unobstructed, just as if they were empty space. I dive into the earth like a seagull into water. I walk on water without sinking into it, just as if it were the surface of the earth. I sit cross-legged in the sky like a bird. I hold and caress radiant beams like those of the sun and moon, those in miraculous displays, and those of feats of magic. I can physically control the worlds all the way up to Brahmāloka.

“Monks, when the monk Kāśyapa wishes to do so, he too can employ a vast array of miracles. With clear understanding and knowledge of how to materialize and dematerialize the monk Kāśyapa likewise becomes one and then becomes many, and having become many, he then becomes one. He passes directly through walls. He passes directly through enclosed spaces. Bodily he passes directly through mountains, unobstructed, just as if they were empty space. He dives into the earth like a seagull into water. He walks on water without sinking into it, just as if it were the surface of the earth. He sits cross-legged in the sky like a bird. He holds and caresses radiant beams like those of the sun and moon, those in miraculous displays, and those of feats of magic. He can physically control the worlds all the way up to Brahmāloka.

“Monks, with [F.262.a] perfectly clear divine hearing, beyond that of normal humans, I hear the sounds of both humans and nonhumans, be they near or far.

“Monks, with perfectly clear divine hearing, beyond that of normal humans, the monk Kāśyapa too hears the sounds of both humans and nonhumans, be they near or far.

“Monks, I know the minds of other beings and other persons, with their initial consideration and subsequent analysis, exactly as they are. Lustful157 minds and minds free of lust I know in full, exactly as they are. Hateful minds and minds free of hatred; ignorant minds and minds free of ignorance; minds closed or radiant, dull or disciplined, wild or tame, lofty, tranquil, or turbulent, resting in equanimity or not resting so, cultivated or uncultivated; and those liberated, those not, those completely and utterly liberated, and those not‍—all these I know in full, exactly as they are.

“Monks, the monk Kāśyapa also knows exactly the minds of other beings and other persons, with their initial consideration and subsequent analysis exactly as they are. Lustful minds and minds free of lust he knows in full, exactly as they are. Hateful minds and minds free of hatred; ignorant minds and minds free of ignorance; minds closed or radiant, dull or disciplined, wild or tame, lofty, tranquil, or turbulent, [F.262.b] resting in equanimity or not resting so, cultivated or uncultivated; and those completely liberated, those not, those completely and utterly liberated, and those not‍—all these he knows in full, exactly as they are.

“Monks, I can recall many of my previous lives. I remember one life, or two, or three‍—four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, twenty, thirty, forty, or fifty‍—or a hundred lives, a thousand lives, a hundred thousand lives, hundreds upon hundreds of thousands of lives, hundreds upon hundreds of millions of lives, an eon of dissolution, an eon of the formation of the universe, an eon of dissolution and formation, many eons of dissolution, many eons of formation, or many eons of dissolution and formation.

“I can remember my identity as all those beings: that I was born in such-and-such a place into this family and that clan, what kinds of food I ate, the happiness and suffering I experienced during my life, how long I was in each state of rebirth, the potential duration of each life, how long each life in fact lasted, that after I died I transmigrated and took rebirth in such-and-such a place, and that when I died from there and transmigrated, what type of rebirth I took. I can recall the many aspects of my previous states, including each aspect, their locations, and the reasons behind them.

“Monks, the monk Kāśyapa can also recall many of his previous lives. He remembers one life, or two, or three‍—four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, twenty, thirty, forty, or [F.263.a] fifty‍—or a hundred lives, a thousand lives, a hundred thousand lives, hundreds upon hundreds of thousands of lives, hundreds upon hundreds of millions of lives, an eon of dissolution, an eon of the formation of the universe, an eon of dissolution and formation, many eons of dissolution, many eons of formation, or many eons of dissolution and formation.

“He can remember his identity as all those beings: that he was born in such-and-such a place into this family and that clan, what kinds of food he ate, the happiness and suffering he experienced during his life, how long he was in each state of rebirth, the potential duration of each life, how long each life in fact lasted, that after he died he transmigrated and took rebirth in such-and-such a place, and that when he died from there and transmigrated, what type of rebirth he took. He can recall the many aspects of his previous states, including each aspect, their locations, and the reasons behind them.

“Monks, with perfectly clear divine vision, beyond that of normal humans, I see how beings continue to die, transmigrate, and take birth; whether they will be of good appearance, bad appearance, or good and bad appearance; and if they will take happy births or fall to lower realms. Fully aware of their actions, I am fully aware of their destinations.

“I see that when they separate from their bodies at death‍—by cause and condition of adopting the wrong teachings and actions‍—those who comport themselves wrongly, those who speak wrongly, those who reflect wrongly, those who hurl insults at the noble ones, and those who hold wrong views will fall to lower realms and take rebirth as hell beings. And I see that when they separate from their bodies at death‍—by cause and condition of adopting the right teachings and actions‍—those who comport themselves rightly, those who speak [F.263.b] rightly, those who reflect rightly, those who refrain from hurling insults at the noble ones, and those who hold right views will travel to happy migrations and take rebirth among gods in the heavens.

“Monks, with perfectly clear divine vision, beyond that of normal humans, the monk Kāśyapa also sees how beings continue to die, transmigrate, and to take birth; whether they will be of good appearance, bad appearance, or good and bad appearance; and if they will take happy births or fall to lower realms. Fully aware of their actions, he is fully aware of their destinations.

“He sees that when they separate from their bodies at death‍—by cause and condition of adopting the wrong teachings and actions‍—those who comport themselves wrongly, those who speak wrongly, those who reflect wrongly, those who hurl insults at the noble ones, and those who hold wrong views will fall to lower realms and take rebirth as hell beings. And he sees that when they separate from their bodies at death‍—by cause and condition of adopting the right teachings and actions‍—those who comport themselves rightly, those who speak rightly, those who reflect rightly, those who refrain from hurling insults at the noble ones, and those who hold right views will travel to happy migrations and take rebirth among gods in the heavens.

“Monks, in this very life I have exhausted the outflows. My mind, thus free of outflows, has been liberated, wisdom has been liberated, and having directly realized and accomplished this through my own superknowledge, rebirth is extinguished for me. [F.264.a] I have lived the holy life, I have done what was before me, and I understand that I shall know no other existence.

“Monks, in this very life the monk Kāśyapa has also exhausted the outflows. His mind, thus free of outflows, has been liberated, wisdom has been liberated, and having directly realized this though his own superknowledge, rebirth is extinguished for him. He has lived the holy life, he has done what was before him, and he understands that he will know no other existence.”

As the Blessed One, there amid hundreds of disciples, affirmed Venerable Mahā­kāśyapa’s greatness as being like his own, he made him supreme guru of the entire world with its gods.

“Lord,” the monks requested the Blessed Buddha, “tell us why the Blessed One affirmed the vast greatness of Venerable Mahā­kāśyapa as being like his own, making him guru of all the entire world with its gods.”

“Not only now,” the Blessed One explained, “but in times past as well, and in the same way, when I venerated him, he became the guru of all of the many people living in this realm. Listen well!

“Monks, in times past, during King Brahmadatta’s reign in the city of Vārāṇasī, the kingdom was prosperous, flourishing, happy, and well populated. The harvest was good. Quarreling and arguments had ceased, there was no fighting or infighting, and there were no robbers, thieves, illness, or famine. Rice, sugarcane, cattle, and buffalo were plentiful. King Brahmadatta did no harm, and he ruled the kingdom gently and mercifully, as a parent cares for a beloved only child.

“The king had as many as five hundred queens. Though they all enjoyed themselves and [F.264.b] coupled, they had no children. Wishing for an heir he supplicated every possible deity, but despite his earnest supplications neither son nor daughter was born.

“The king had five hundred ministers, every one of them arrogant and imprudent. But his chief minister, whose name was Treasure, was capable, clear-minded, shrewd, disciplined, and prudent.

“King Brahmadatta had a disagreement with a certain neighboring king, so he thought, ‘Which minister can I send to that neighboring country who will be able to form a truce with its king and safeguard my country?’

“When the king pondered this, he saw that his chief minister Treasure was capable, clear-minded, shrewd, disciplined, and prudent. ‘He can form a truce with that king and safeguard my country,’ the king thought. The king appointed him to a post among the surrounding mountains and told him: ‘Go, stay there, and safeguard the country.’

“ ‘As you wish, Deva,’ he replied. He went out among the mountains, and there he stayed. After he got there and had assumed control of the neighboring territory, no harm befell the country at all.

“One day, after King Brahmadatta had grown old, one of his wives 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 his birth they named him according to their clan.

“They reared him on milk, yogurt, butter, ghee, and milk solids, and he flourished like a lotus in a lake. Once he was able to walk, the king thought, ‘I’m old now, and it will not be long before I die. After I pass away, this child [F.265.a] will not be able to rule the kingdom. Who among my ministers can safeguard my child and my kingdom, then?’ He pondered and recognized that every one of his five hundred ministers was arrogant and imprudent, and he wondered, ‘Who else is there?’

“Upon examination he realized, ‘My chief minister Treasure is capable, clear-minded, shrewd, disciplined, and prudent. After I pass away he will be able to safeguard my child and my kingdom.’ And he thought, ‘If I offer him my respect, all the many inhabitants of my country will respect him in the same way.’ So he sent a messenger to him, saying, ‘I wish to meet with you. Come quickly.’

“As soon as he heard this, chief minister Treasure hurried to Vārāṇasī, where the king had the streets and houses beautified to show his respect. The king arrayed the four divisions of his army and received chief minister Treasure in person. When he greeted Treasure, King Brahmadatta descended from his elephant, and, beside himself with joy, put his arms around him. They rode a single mount, traveling to the city of Vārāṇasī in great opulence.

“After he bade him sit together with him on a single seat, their food was prepared together and they ate from a single plate. Then the king gave him a great mountain of wealth and said to him, ‘O Treasure, I am old now, and it will not be long before I die. After my death, the five hundred ministers will all think, “This child is king?” and they will come to revile him. After my death you will be able to safeguard my son and my kingdom. Therefore, I entrust my son and kingdom to you. Safeguard them after my death!’ [F.265.b]

“ ‘As you wish, Deva,’ replied the chief minister Treasure.

“One day King Brahmadatta fell ill. Though he was treated with medicinal roots, stems, leaves, flowers, and fruits, he could not be cured so he ceded the throne to the prince, entrusted both to the chief minister Treasure, and proclaimed that after his death, it was he who would safeguard his son and his kingdom.

“After the elder king died, the chief minister Treasure dispatched his retinue, summoned the five hundred ministers, and told them, ‘I say to all of you, it may be that the elder king has died,158 but you should not think there is no one to unify us. I shall grant each of you a portion of the country. We must make certain that this young king is not harmed by anyone.’

“He granted a portion of the country to each of the five hundred ministers, and safeguarded both the prince and his family. When the prince had grown, the chief minister Treasure told him, ‘Deva, your father, the king, entrusted you, Deva, and the kingdom to me. After your father’s passing I safeguarded you, Deva, and the kingdom.’

“O monks, what do you think? It is none other than Kāśyapa who was the chief minister Treasure then, and lived the life of a bodhisattva. At that time when I offered him my respect, he became the guru of all the many people who lived in this country. Now as well I have offered him my respect, and when I affirmed his vast greatness as being like my own, he became guru of all the world.” [B23]

After Venerable Ānanda had gone forth, he learned all 84,000 divisions of the Dharma, and the Blessed One [F.266.a] commended him as foremost among keepers and compilers of the teachings. The Blessed One also commended Mahā­kāśyapa’s vast greatness as being like his own. Thereupon they both became gurus of the entire world with its gods.

The Blessed One thought, “After my parinirvāṇa, these two monks will be able to fulfill the purpose of my teachings. One will be able to safeguard the treasury of teachings, and the other will be able to recount my doctrine.” Having reflected thus, the Blessed One traveled to the city of Kuśinagarī.

When the Blessed One was passing into parinirvāṇa he thought, “If I pass my doctrine on to only human beings and don’t pass it on to any nonhuman beings, it will not remain for long; and if I pass it on to only nonhuman beings, and do not pass it on to any human beings, then it also will not remain for long. So I will pass on my doctrine to gods and humans, and to both these monks as well, for then its keepers will be gods and human beings alike. Then, kept by gods, humans, and both these monks as well, the doctrine will remain for a long time.”

Having reflected thus, the Blessed One said to Venerable Mahā­kāśyapa, “Kāśyapa, after I pass into parinirvāṇa, you must not pass into parinirvāṇa until you have carried on my doctrine and perfectly recounted the Tripiṭaka, and the monk Ānanda has cast away all afflictive emotions and manifested arhatship.”

Then the Blessed One spoke to Venerable Ānanda, saying, “Ānanda, do not pass into parinirvāṇa until the sage Mādhyandina has gone forth. Then you must tell him, ‘You must not pass into parinirvāṇa until you have tamed the nāga king Hulluru, [F.266.b] founded the kingdom of Kashmir, and established the doctrine there. As it flourishes there the householder Śāṇavāsa will go forth. You must not pass into parinirvāṇa until he has cast away all afflictive emotions and manifested arhatship, and you have passed on to him all that you have heard.’

“Then Mādhyandina must tell Śāṇavāsa, ‘You must not pass into parinirvāṇa until you have tamed the two nāga kings Naṭa and Vīra, and they have established the hermitages of Naṭa and Vīra. There shall be a perfume merchant named Gupta in Mathurā, and he will have a son named Upagupta. You must not pass into parinirvāṇa until he goes forth, casts away all afflictive emotions, manifests arhatship, and you have passed on to him all that you have heard.’

“Then Śāṇavāsa must tell Upagupta, ‘You must not pass into parinirvāṇa until noble Dhītika has gone forth, manifested arhatship, and you have passed on to him all that you have heard.’

“Upagupta must tell Dhītika, ‘You must not pass into parinirvāṇa until you decide to consume poisoned food in Pāṭaliputra.’ ”159

Venerable Mahā­kāśyapa and Ānanda rose, drew down the right shoulder of their upper garments, bowed toward the Blessed One with palms pressed together, and said, “As you wish, Blessed One.”

The Blessed One spoke to Venerable Mahā­kāśyapa, saying, “Kāśyapa, go now and lead the saṅgha of ordinary beings to wander the country. Let there be no disagreement among you prior to my parinirvāṇa.” [F.267.a]

“As you wish, Lord,” he replied, and Venerable Mahā­kāśyapa went and led the saṅgha of ordinary beings to wander the country.

Not long after Venerable Mahā­kāśyapa had left, the Blessed One had a thought about the world: “It would be good if Śakra, King of the Gods, and the four great kings‍—Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Virūpākṣa, Virūḍhaka, and Vaiśravaṇa‍—would come to see me.” So the Blessed One performed a miracle that caused Śakra, King of the Gods, and the four great kings to disappear from among the gods and appear instantly seated before the Blessed One. They scattered divine blue lotus, lotus, white water lily, white lotus, and mandārava flowers over the Blessed One, and again sat down before him.

“Lords,” the Blessed One said to Śakra, King of the Gods, and the four great kings, “before long the Tathāgata will pass into the realm of nirvāṇa without any remainder of the aggregates. After my parinirvāṇa, may you safeguard my doctrine.

“Lords, in a thousand years, when the doctrine has begun to decline, when injustice prevails in the world and the path of the ten virtuous actions has lost all its strength, Jambudvīpa will be filled with an ill wind. With the arrival of this ill wind, rain will cease to fall. When the rain ceases to fall, all the rivers and wells will have but little water in them. The trees will neither flower nor bear fruit, the harvests and fruits will lack any vitality, and they will also be devastated by hail. The grain too will be ruined, and there will be famine. When the famine occurs, human beings [F.267.b] will be forced to eat wild millet. They will have little strength and their life force will diminish.

“Śakas, Yavanas, Bāhlikas, kings, and brigands will harm the living. After the Śakas, Yavanas, Bāhlikas, kings, and brigands have done their harm, they will also seize the Tathāgata’s crown protrusion, eye teeth, alms bowl, stūpas, and such, and take them east. After that a king of the barbaric outlying regions named Śaka will come from the south with a suite of a hundred thousand attendants, raze the monasteries of the saṅgha, tear down the stūpas, and slay the monks.

“A king of the barbaric outlying regions named Bāhlika will come from the west with a suite of a hundred thousand attendants, raze the monasteries of the saṅgha, tear down the stūpas, and slay the monks.

“A king of the barbaric outlying regions named Yavana will come from the north with a suite of a hundred thousand attendants, raze the monasteries of the saṅgha, tear down the stūpas, and slay the monks. Because of all this, the people and the robbers will blame and harm one another, and the monks will wish to travel east.

“Lords, at that time a king named Mahendrasena will rule in Kauśāmbī with a suite of a hundred thousand attendants. When his son is born, he will be wearing armor on his body, have blood on his hands, and be tremendously strong. On the same day, sons will also be born to the king’s five hundred ministers who are wearing armor, have blood on their hands, and are tremendously strong.

“On that day a rain of blood will fall on Kauśāmbī. When the king consults the soothsayers, they will issue a prophecy saying, [F.268.a] ‘Deva, he will become the sole sovereign over the whole world, but he will slaughter many beings.’

“At the elaborate feast celebrating the birth of the king’s son, they will name him, saying, ‘Since he is infamous and overwhelming, his name will be Duṣprasaha.’ As he grows up, the kings of the barbaric outlying regions will slaughter many people over twelve years and then travel east. When King Mahendrasena hears of it, he will become fearful and unhappy, and the gods will advise him, ‘Let young Duṣprasaha be king, and he will defeat the kings of the barbaric outlying regions once and for all.’

“Thereupon King Mahendrasena will remove the crown and diadem from his head and grant them to young Duṣprasaha, at which point King Duṣprasaha will appoint the sons of Mahendrasena’s five hundred ministers as his chief ministers. He and his five hundred ministers will don their armor and he will lead them into battle against the kings of the barbaric outlying lands.

“They will slaughter the three kings of the barbaric outlying lands along with the hundreds upon hundreds of thousands in their retinue, and he shall become the sole sovereign over the whole world. He shall bring them under his command and then return to Kauśāmbī.

“Lords, at that time in Pāṭaliputra there will appear a brahmin called Agnidatta, a master of the Vedas and the supplements to the Vedas. When the time comes for him to marry, he will take a wife, they will enjoy themselves and couple, and a being will enter his wife’s womb. Then his wife the brahmiṇī will begin to think things like, ‘Wouldn’t it be good to converse with those who debate the scriptures!’ [F.268.b]

“The brahmin will consult the soothsayers and the soothsayers will say, ‘The being in her womb will understand all the treatises and confound those who debate the scriptures. It is on account of that being that the brahmiṇī has such fervent wishes and thinks, “Wouldn’t it be good to converse with those who debate the scriptures!” ’

“After nine or ten months have passed, she will give birth to a child who is well proportioned, pleasing to the eye, and beautiful. When he is grown, he will master all the treatises and confound those who debate the scriptures. He will act as a master of disciples of the brahmin mantras for five hundred brahmins. He will have many disciples, and therefore he will be called Śiṣyaka.

“Then he will ask for his parents’ permission, go forth in my very doctrine, be educated in the Tripiṭaka, become a proponent of the Dharma with all the eloquence of wisdom and freedom, and gather around himself a great retinue.

“Lords, at the same time, in Pāṭaliputra a trader called Sudhana will appear. When the time comes for him to marry, he will take a wife, they will enjoy themselves and couple, and a being in its final existence will enter his wife’s womb. The woman will become patient, gentle, peaceable, and calm.

“When the trader Sudhana consults the soothsayers, they will reply, ‘The being who has entered her womb will be gentle. It is on account of that being that your wife has become patient, gentle, peaceable, and calm.’ After nine or ten months have passed, she will give birth to a child who is well proportioned, pleasing to the eye, and beautiful. They will name him Sūrata.

“When he is grown, he will ask for his parents’ permission to go forth in my very doctrine, [F.269.a] cast away all afflictive emotions, and manifest arhatship. He will have little learning and few desires, be known by all, and make his home in a remote place.

“One day King Duṣprasaha’s father Mahendrasena will die. King Duṣprasaha will take his remains in his hands and cradle them in his lap, grieving and suffering, wailing and lamenting, and there will be no one able to dispel his sorrow.

“Soon thereafter the elder Śiṣyaka and hundreds of his disciples will travel to Kauśāmbī, where he will go before King Duṣprasaha and teach him the Dharma. Hearing it will clear away the king’s sorrows, and he will find faith in the doctrine. Now faithful, he will give the gift of protection to the monks. He will say to the monks, ‘How many years has it been since the Blessed One’s doctrine was destroyed by the kings of the barbaric outlying regions?’ And they will reply, ‘Twelve years.’ Then he will proclaim with a lion’s roar, ‘For twelve years I shall hold a Festival of the Fifth Year of the Doctrine of the Blessed One160 in Kauśāmbī.’

“When the king inaugurates the Festival of the Fifth Year in Kauśāmbī, on the very day it commences rain will begin to fall, and people the world over will be sated with water, all the way to the ocean’s edge. The many inhabitants of Jambudvīpa will come to Kauśāmbī specifically to celebrate the Festival of the Fifth Year.

“Monks will put all their efforts into working for offerings. They will be fixated on worldly profit and high acclaim. They will indulge themselves on donations given in faith. They will not receive instruction, and neither read nor recite. They will pass their days in gossip [F.269.b] and their nights in sloth and slumber. They will crave money and acclaim. They will be obsessed with physical hygiene and pour their efforts into their attire. They will have neither renunciation, tranquility, solitude, nor perfect enlightenment. The only thing dear to them will be their outfits.

“Lacking the great virtues of the holy ascetics, and acting as enemies to the holy Dharma and friends with this time of strife, they will lay down the banner of the Dharma and hoist the banner of Māra, snuff out the flame of Dharma and ignite the flame of afflictive emotions, cleave the Dharma drum, grind the wheel of holy Dharma down to dust, let dry up the ocean of holy Dharma, level the mountain of holy Dharma, raze the city of Dharma to the ground, rip out the Dharma tree by its roots, cast aside calm abiding meditation and insight meditation, snip off the adornments of their morality, and repudiate the path.

“Then the gods, nāgas, and yakṣas shall curse, desert, and defeat161 them, saying, ‘It isn’t right that these lowest of beings spoil the excellent speech of the Blessed One.’ And they will also say:

“After they speak these words, in bitter disappointment never again will the gods, nāgas, and yakṣas look after the monks or shelter them. With the holy Dharma due to vanish in seven days’ time, the gods will be unhappy and hover in the sky, crying out this pronouncement: ‘Friends, seven days from now, when the time comes for the poṣadha purification ceremony, the holy Dharma of the Tathāgata will vanish because of a dispute.’

“Upon hearing this, five hundred lay vow holders of Kauśāmbī will go to the monastery to pacify all the monks’ fighting, faultfinding, quarrels, and disputes, protesting, ‘Alas! The Buddha’s doctrine will vanish soon because of a dispute.’ And they will also say:

“Thus the five hundred lay vow holders will come to reflect, ‘Common enjoyments are meaningless. We should do something more meaningful.’ And so, on the very day when the holy Dharma is to disappear, the group of five hundred lay vow holders will provide support for five hundred monasteries. But when it comes time for poṣadha, the five hundred lay vow holders will be occupied and will not be able to go to the monastery.

“Meanwhile the monk Sūrata, living upon Gandhamādana Mountain, will wonder, ‘Where should I go to convene for poṣadha?’ When he looks out toward Jambudvīpa, seeing all the Blessed One’s disciples converging upon Kauśāmbī, he will wish to travel to Kauśāmbī for poṣadha. Among the hundred thousand monks assembled for poṣadha, there will be but a single arhat, the one called Sūrata, and there will be but a single Tripiṭaka master, the one called Śiṣyaka.

“Lords, that will be the final gathering of the Tathāgata’s disciples. One hundred thousand monks will be there. Then the monk in charge of implements will distribute tally sticks among the saṅgha of monks and say to the elder monk Śiṣyaka, ‘Elder brother, now that the saṅgha of monks has convened, we ask you, please recite the Prātimokṣa Sūtra.’

“Śiṣyaka will reply, ‘All the Blessed One’s disciples in Jambudvīpa have come here. [F.271.a] There are a hundred thousand monks here, and I am the most senior among the entire saṅgha and have completed my study, so if I do not instruct them in the precepts, no one else will instruct them in the precepts. I wonder, for whose sake should I recite the prātimokṣa, then?’ And he will also say:

“Then the arhat Sūrata will rise from his seat before the row master, bow toward the saṅgha with palms pressed together, and bid elder monk Śiṣyaka, ‘Elder brother, please recite the Prātimokṣa Sūtra. For in the same way that the great disciples‍—Śāriputra, Maudgalyāyana, and the rest‍—maintained their precepts perfectly while the Blessed One dwelt among us, I likewise have maintained the doctrine perfectly, some thousand years after the Blessed Buddha passed into parinirvāṇa.’ ”

The Blessed One162 continued:

“Thereupon [F.271.b] Śiṣyaka’s fearsome disciple Aṅgada will rise to his feet and say, ‘You’re but a newcomer, and one of little learning! How can you speak such nonsense to our preceptor?’ And he will take up a sharp sword to slay the arhat Sūrata.”

The Blessed One continued:

“Then a yakṣa called Dadhimukha will come there and think, ‘This wicked man has killed the one arhat that was here!’ He will light his vajra scepter on fire and it will burn all over, covered in flames. Wielding nothing but a single, searing flame, he will bludgeon the monk Aṅgada’s head, and split it into seven pieces.”

The Blessed One continued:

“The disciples of the arhat Sūrata will rise from their seats, and they will murder the Tripiṭaka master Śiṣyaka, and after the murder of the arhat Sūrata and the Tripiṭaka master Śiṣyaka, the Tathāgata’s holy Dharma will disappear.

“When the holy Dharma disappears, the earth will quake, a meteor will strike, and the thundering of a celestial drum will resound from the heavens. Comets will fall from the four directions, and some hundred thousand gods will cry out in unbearable compassion, wailing and lamenting, ‘What misery! The holy Dharma the Tathāgata cultivated for over three countless eons is no more!’ ”

The Blessed One continued:

“Thereupon Mahā­māyādevī will descend from her home in the Heaven of the Thirty-Three, and cry out in unbearable compassion, wailing and lamenting, ‘What misery! The holy Dharma my son cultivated for over three countless eons has now vanished because of a dispute and is no more!’ And she will also say:

“When they hear this, the five hundred lay vow holders in Kauśāmbī will emerge from the monastery, throw up their hands, and lament, ‘The holy Dharma the Tathāgata cultivated for over three countless eons has now vanished into contention and is no more!’ And they will say:

“When the king of Kauśāmbī hears that the arhat Sūrata and the Tripiṭaka master Śiṣyaka have been killed, in a fit of rage and fury he will attack the teachings, destroying the temples of the saṅgha, demolishing the stūpas, and slaying all the monks.

“Lords, in the future you must band together to protect the teachings wherever they incur harm.”

“We shall,” they said.

“Lord,” the great king Dhṛtarāṣṭra declared, “I shall protect the teachings in the east.”

“Lord,” Virūḍhaka declared, “I shall protect the teachings in the south.”

“Lord,” Virūpākṣa declared, “I shall protect the teachings in the west.”

“Lord,” Vaiśravaṇa declared, “I shall protect the teachings in the north.”

“Lord,” Śakra, King of the Gods, declared, “I shall protect the teachings in all directions.”

Having spoken thus, Śakra, King of the Gods, and the four great kings [F.273.b] praised the words of the Blessed One, rejoiced, touched their heads to the Blessed One’s feet, and disappeared on the spot.

After the Blessed One had handed the doctrine to Venerable Mahā­kāśyapa and Venerable Ānanda, the monks said to the Blessed Buddha, “Lord, you have seen that after the Blessed One hands the doctrine to the monk Kāśyapa, and the treasury of teachings to the monk Ānanda, and passes into parinirvāṇa, the two will propagate the doctrine.”

“Not only now,” the Blessed One explained, “but in times past as well, and in the same way, I handed my country and the four divisions of my army to the monk Kāśyapa, and to Ānanda I handed the treasury of my wealth. By safeguarding them after my death, the two made my royal palace flourish. Listen well!

“Monks, in times gone by, when King Mahā­deva reigned in the city of Mithilā, one day 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 his birth they named him according to their clan. They reared him on milk, yogurt, butter, ghee, and milk solids, and he flourished like a lotus in a lake.

“Soon after, the king fell ill. Though he was treated with medicinal roots, stems, leaves, flowers, and fruits, he could not be cured. The king thought, ‘I shall die from this illness, and my son is still very small. After my death, everyone will think, “This child is king?” and they will come to revile him. Who could be powerful enough to maintain the royal palace after I die and pass on?’

“Now the king had two wise chief ministers, capable, clear-minded, [F.274.a] trustworthy, shrewd, disciplined, and prudent. Their names were Nanda and Upananda. King Mahā­deva thought, ‘After I die and pass on, Nanda and Upananda will be able to safeguard the royal palace.’ With this thought, he summoned both ministers by messenger and then instructed them, ‘The two of you should know that soon I shall be no more. You two will be able to care for the royal palace after I die and pass on.’ The king handed one of them the prince and the royal treasury, and the other the country and the four divisions of the royal army, instructing them, ‘After my passing the two of you must protect the royal palace and ensure that it prospers.’

“Then the king ceded the throne to the prince and passed away. After his passing, the two ministers divided his affairs:164 one would safeguard the prince and the royal treasury, and the other would safeguard the kingdom and the four divisions of the army.

“When the prince had come into his own and grown strong, one of the two ministers offered him the wealth and the treasury, and the other offered him the country and the four divisions of the army, saying, ‘Deva, this wealth was your father’s. May you therefore rule righteously as king!’

“O monks, what do you think? I am the one who was that aged king, and lived the life of a bodhisattva. The one who safeguarded the four divisions of the army and the country then is none other than the monk Kāśyapa. The one who safeguarded the prince and the royal treasury then is none other than Ānanda. The one who was the prince then is none other than Śāṇavāsa. At that time, I [F.274.b] handed the prince and my royal treasury to one younger than myself, and to another younger than myself I likewise handed my country and the four divisions of my army.

“At that time, after I died and passed on, they likewise cared for the royal palace and made it prosperous. Now, as I am once again nearing the end, I have handed to one the treasury of teachings, and to the other I have handed the doctrine; after my parinirvāṇa, they will make the doctrine known.

“Furthermore, regarding the monks Ānanda and Kāśyapa, one prayed, ‘May I become supreme among the learned. After the Blessed One’s parinirvāṇa, may I make known the treasury of teachings,’ while the other prayed, ‘After the Śākya sage, foremost King of the Śākyas, passes into parinirvāṇa, may I fulfill the aim of his doctrine.’ ”

“Lord, where did they make these prayers?” the monks inquired.

“Monks,” the Blessed One recounted, “in times past, in this fortunate eon, when people lived as long as twenty thousand years, and the totally and completely awakened buddha endowed with perfect knowledge 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, the monk Ānanda went forth in his teaching, and the totally and completely awakened Buddha Kāśyapa commended the one who had led Ānanda to go forth as foremost among keepers of the teachings.

“At that time he practiced pure conduct all his life, and at the time of his death, he 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 [F.275.a] and manifest arhatship. Just as the Buddha Kāśyapa commended my preceptor as foremost among keepers of the teachings, may the Śākya sage, the most excellent King of the Śākyas, likewise commend me as foremost among keepers of the teachings. After his parinirvāṇa may I make known the treasury of his teachings.’

“O monks, what do you think? The one who was that monk then is none other than Ānanda himself. At that time he prayed thus, and 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 he has pleased me, not displeased me, gone forth in my very doctrine, cast away all afflictive emotions, and manifested arhatship; that I have commended him as foremost among keepers of the teachings; and that after my parinirvāṇa, he will make the teachings known.

“Monks, the monk Kāśyapa also went forth in the doctrine of the totally and completely awakened Buddha Kāśyapa, and the totally and completely awakened Buddha Kāśyapa commended the one who had led him to go forth as foremost among those possessing the ascetic practices.

“At that time he practiced pure conduct all his life, and at the time of his death, he prayed, ‘While I may not have attained any great virtues, still I have gone forth like this in the doctrine of the totally and completely awakened Buddha Kāśyapa and 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. Going forth in his doctrine alone, may I cast away all afflictive emotions, and manifest arhatship. [F.275.b] Just as the totally and completely awakened Buddha Kāśyapa commended my preceptor as foremost among those possessing the ascetic practices, may the Śākya sage, the most excellent King of the Śākyas, likewise commend me as foremost among those possessing the ascetic practices.’

“When he died and transmigrated, he took rebirth in the city of Vārāṇasī in the family of a chief minister. After his birth, when he had grown, King Kṛkī made him one of his ministers. When the totally and completely awakened Buddha Kāśyapa had carried out all the activities of a buddha and passed beyond all sorrow into the realm of nirvāṇa without any remainder, King Kṛkī venerated his relics and commissioned a jewel stūpa that was one league in circumference, for which the king appointed as overseer the minister’s son.

“One day, when King Kṛkī had completed every aspect of the stūpa, he wished to inaugurate the traditional festival of the stūpa, so he prepared a large quantity of food, drink, and robes, and extended an invitation to the monks. When seven days had gone by since the totally and completely awakened Buddha Kāśyapa passed into parinirvāṇa, the doctrine disappeared. After his parinirvāṇa, those monks who had achieved spiritual power also entered parinirvāṇa. Those who were ordinary persons returned to home life. As a result, those who had extended the invitations could not find a single monk.

“ ‘Where have all the monks gone?’ asked King Kṛkī.

“ ‘Now that seven days have passed since the totally and completely awakened Buddha has passed into parinirvāṇa, the doctrine has disappeared,’ the ministers replied.

“ ‘Is there not a single monk who can act as keeper of the doctrine?’ the king asked. [F.276.a] And with that, King Kṛkī venerated the stūpa and departed.

“Thereupon the minister’s son also venerated the stūpa and prayed, ‘By this root of virtue, wherever I am born, may it be into a family of great means, prosperity, and wealth. 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. After his parinirvāṇa may I also become a keeper of the doctrine.’

“O monks, what do you think? The one who was the minister’s son then is none other than the monk Kāśyapa. It was at that time that he made this prayer.” [B24]

When the Blessed One was in Rājagṛha, there lived certain great brahmin named Grasping. In the village of Nālada there lived another brahmin named Tiṣya. The two were dear friends.

As the brahmin Tiṣya and his wife enjoyed themselves and coupled, one day 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 his birth, they named him Śāriputra Upatiṣya.

Then one day the brahmin Grasping’s 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 asked, “What name should we give this child?” And they named him, saying, “Since this is the great, high brahmin Grasping’s child, his [F.276.b] name will be Son of Grasping.” They reared young Son of Grasping on milk, yogurt, butter, ghee, and milk solids.

When the brahmins’ sons had grown, they were sent to school. Both perfected the study of letters and became educated in all the scriptures. When Śāriputra Upatiṣya was sixteen years of age, being educated in the Aindra school of Sanskrit grammar, he used the scriptures to defeat all his opponents in debate.

One day he went to live in a forest devoted to austerities. He went forth and lived among the mendicant monks known as the parivrājaka. When the Buddha came to the world, the brahmins Śāriputra and Maudgalyāyana both went forth in the doctrine of the Blessed One, cast away all afflictive emotions, and manifested arhatship. The Blessed One commended the former as foremost among those of profound wisdom and the latter as foremost among those with miraculous powers.

The young brahmin Son of Grasping became a hero in the king’s court. He constantly visited the royal palace, and because he was a wise person, King Bimbisāra appointed him chief minister and awarded him a great salary, since worldly people wish for wealth.

The time came for him to marry, so he took a wife and they enjoyed themselves and coupled. He increased the wealth of their household and kept it all. He accepted money from the brahmins and householders in Rājagṛha on behalf of the king, and he accepted money from the king on behalf of the brahmins and householders.

One day, Śāriputra saw the time had come to tame Son of Grasping. In the morning he donned his lower garment and Dharma robes, and, carrying his alms bowl, he went to the place where Son of Grasping’s house stood. At that time, the brahmin Son of Grasping [F.277.a] was seated beneath a mālaka tree, carrying out his cow-milking duties. Son of Grasping saw Venerable Śāriputra in the distance and went to where Venerable Śāriputra stood. He embraced Venerable Śāriputra, led him to the house, and insisted he sit on the seat that he had now prepared for him.

“Śāriputra, as you take your meal, please drink some milk as well.”

“Just your happiness at seeing me is enough for me,” replied Śāriputra.

“Śāriputra, you traveled such a long way to my house. Why is it you won’t take even a little food?” Son of Grasping asked.

“Son of Grasping, I do this because you are becoming increasingly immoral,” replied Śāriputra. “On behalf of the king you accept money from the brahmins and householders, and on behalf of the brahmins and householders you accept money from the king.”

“Śāriputra,” said Son of Grasping, “I am a layman. As a landowner I have to provide for myself, my parents, my children, my spouse, my servants both male and female, and the workers and others to whom I pay wages, as well as those near and dear to me and my aged relatives. I have to keep all of them happy and content. I also have to rely on the king for land. I have to propitiate the deities, put out offerings for the ancestors, and provide food for the ascetics and brahmins. If I do only as the law specifies, I am not able to easily acquire wealth.”

“Well then, Son of Grasping,” Śāriputra replied, “I have a question for you. Just answer as best you can.

“Take a certain person who practices unrighteousness and acts immorally for the sake of his parents. When that person, who practiced unrighteousness and acted so immorally, separates from his body after death and falls to lower states, takes rebirth as a hell being, and is seized by the guardians of hell [F.277.b] and made to undergo dreadful suffering and extreme, excruciating, unbearable agony‍—when that person says, ‘Please, guardians of hell, do not harm me in such-and-such ways! Why not, you ask? It was for the sake of my parents, you see, that I practiced unrighteousness and acted so immorally, and that upon separating from my body after death I fell to lower states and took rebirth among the hell beings’‍—Son of Grasping, what do you think? Will that person get what he wants from the guardians of hell?”

“No, Śāriputra, he will not,” replied Son of Grasping.

“Son of Grasping,” continued Śāriputra, “there are faithful, noble children who have attained material comfort on account of good karma and a devout life, and who are perfectly content in the service of their parents, going from time to time to offer their genuine respect and gracious assistance. They do not carry out even the smallest nonvirtuous action but embrace the meritorious path and abide by that.

“Their parents think, ‘This noble child is so faithful and capable, and thus able to suitably provide for us. This noble child has attained material comfort on account of good karma and a devout life, and is also perfectly content in our service, coming from time to time to offer genuine respect and gracious assistance. This noble child carries out not even the smallest nonvirtuous action but has embraced the meritorious path and abides by that.’ Such noble children who wholeheartedly love their parents in return should expect their virtuous deeds to only increase, and never wane.

“But, Son of Grasping, take a certain person who practices unrighteousness and acts immorally for the sake of his parents, children, spouse, servants both male and female, and the workers and others to whom he pays wages, as well as for those near and dear to him, his aged relatives, the king, the deities, the ascetics, and brahmins. [F.278.a]

“When that person, who practiced unrighteousness and acted so immorally, separates from his body after death and falls to lower states, takes rebirth as a hell being, and is seized by the guardians of hell and made to undergo dreadful suffering and extreme, excruciating, unbearable agony‍—when that person says, ‘Please, guardians of hell, do not harm me in such-and-such ways! Why not, you ask? It was for the sake of the ascetics and brahmins, you see, that I practiced unrighteousness and acted so immorally’‍—O Son of Grasping, what do you think? Will that person get what he wants from the guardians of hell?”

“No, Śāriputra, he will not,” replied Son of Grasping.

Śāriputra continued, “Son of Grasping, there are faithful, noble children who have attained material comfort on account of good karma and a devout life, who provide food for the ascetics and brahmins, and who carry out not even the smallest nonvirtuous action but embrace the meritorious path, such that the ascetics and brahmins, with minds of virtue, treat them with wholehearted love in return. So it is, Son of Grasping, that the virtues of people whom ascetics and brahmins, with minds of virtue, treat with wholehearted love in return, are expected to increase, and never wane.”

After he had spoken thus, tears fell from the eyes of the brahmin Son of Grasping. Then the brahmin Son of Grasping, wiping away his tears with the hem of his garment, lamented to Venerable Śāriputra, “Alas, Śāriputra, it was not in times past that I carefully selected my new bride. Yet for her sake, heedless, I have already committed so many sinful misdeeds. Lord, henceforth I will forsake my new bride and today receive from you, Lord Śāriputra, the fundamental precepts of pure conduct.” Thereupon [F.278.b] Venerable Śāriputra led the brahmin Son of Grasping to abide in the fundamental precepts of the holy life, then rose from his seat and departed.

Venerable Śāriputra traveled to the mountain forests in the south, where there lived another monk who had traveled from the Kalandakanivāsa, in Bamboo Grove, to those mountain forests in the south. That monk saw Venerable Śāriputra in the distance, and approached Venerable Śāriputra. Upon his arrival he touched his head to Venerable Śāriputra’s feet and took a seat at one side. Once the monk had taken a seat at one side, Venerable Śāriputra asked him, “Monk, whence have you just come?”

“Venerable Śāriputra,” the monk replied, “I have just come from the Kalandakanivāsa, in Bamboo Grove.”

“Do you know the brahmin Son of Grasping?” asked Śāriputra.

“Yes, Venerable Śāriputra, I do,” he replied. “He was a friend, Venerable Śāriputra, while you yet lived at home.”

Śāriputra then inquired, “Has Venerable Son of Grasping met with any harm? Does he despair? Is he happy? Is he free of illness, healthy, and strong? Is he living in Rājagṛha? Does he like to see his teacher? Does he enjoy listening to the Dharma?”

“Venerable Śāriputra,” answered the monk, “the brahmin Son of Grasping likes to see his teacher and enjoys listening to the Dharma. However, he met with some harm, and now he suffers. He has fallen ill, and from this illness he may die.”

Venerable Śāriputra donned his Dharma robes and went to the brahmin Son of Grasping’s house. There the brahmin Son of Grasping saw Venerable Śāriputra from a distance, and upon seeing him, tried to rise from his seat. When Venerable Śāriputra saw the brahmin Son of Grasping trying to rise from his seat, he said to him, “Son of Grasping, there is another seat for me to sit on. Please, don’t get up.” [F.279.a]

Venerable Śāriputra sat on the seat prepared for him and asked the brahmin Son of Grasping, “Son of Grasping, tell me, are you able to endure? Are you recovering? Tell me, has your dreadful suffering and extreme, excruciating, unbearable agony gone away and not gotten worse? Has it abated? Has it not calmed down?”

“Lord Śāriputra,” said Son of Grasping, “I cannot endure this. I am not recovering. My body is wracked with dreadful suffering and extreme, excruciating, unbearable agony. The pain has worsened, and it seems that the illness will not abate.

“Lord Śāriputra, take a very weak person, around whose head a very strong person has tied thick leather rope very tightly. The pain in that person’s head would be unbearable. Lord Śāriputra, in my head there is an unbearable pain like this. The pain has worsened, and it seems that the illness will not abate.

“Lord Śāriputra, take for instance the belly of a cow gutted by a butcher’s apprentice with a slaughtering knife. As its stomach is ripped open, the pain would be unbearable. Lord Śāriputra, my stomach is rent with an unbearable pain like this. The pain has worsened, and it seems that the illness will not abate.

“Lord Śāriputra, take for instance a very weak person whose shoulders are gripped right and left by two very strong persons who push him down into burning embers. The pain in that person’s body would be searing and unbearable. Lord Śāriputra, my body is filled with pain that is searing and unbearable like this. The pain has worsened, and it seems that the illness will not abate.

“That is why, Lord Śāriputra, I cannot endure it. I am not recovering. My body is wracked with dreadful suffering and extreme, excruciating, unbearable [F.279.b] agony, the pain has worsened, and it seems that the illness will not abate.”

“Son of Grasping,” Śāriputra said, “I have some questions for you. Just answer as best you can. O Son of Grasping, what do you think? Which would you choose, rebirth as a hell being or as an animal?”

“Lord Śāriputra, I would choose rebirth as an animal over rebirth as a hell being.”

“Which would you choose, rebirth as an animal or as an anguished spirit?”

“Lord Śāriputra, I would choose rebirth as an anguished spirit over an animal birth.”

“Which would you choose, rebirth as an anguished spirit or as a human?”

“Lord Śāriputra, I would choose rebirth as a human over rebirth as an anguished spirit.”

“Which would you choose, rebirth as a human or a god in the Abodes of the Four Great Kings?”

“Lord Śāriputra, I would choose rebirth as a god in the Abodes of the Four Great Kings over a human birth.”

“Which would you choose, rebirth as a god in the Abodes of the Four Great Kings or as a god in the Heaven of the Thirty-Three?”

“Lord Śāriputra, I would choose rebirth as a god in the Heaven of the Thirty-Three over being a god in the Abodes of the Four Great Kings.”

“Which would you choose, rebirth as a god in the Heaven of the Thirty-Three or as a god in the Strifeless Heaven?”

“Lord Śāriputra, I would choose rebirth as a god in the Strifeless Heaven over being a god in the Heaven of the Thirty-Three.”

“Which would you choose, rebirth as a god in the Strifeless Heaven or as a god in Tuṣita?”

“Lord Śāriputra, I would choose rebirth as a god in Tuṣita over rebirth as a god in the Strifeless Heaven.”

“Which would you choose, rebirth as a god in Tuṣita or as a god in the Delighting in Creation Heaven?”

“Lord Śāriputra, I would choose rebirth as a god in the Delighting in Creation Heaven over rebirth as a god in the Tuṣita Heaven.”

“Which would you choose, rebirth as a god in the Delighting in Creation Heaven or as a god in the Heaven of the Masters of Others’ Creations?”

“Lord Śāriputra, I would choose rebirth as a god in the Heaven of the Masters of Others’ Creations over rebirth as a god in the Delighting in Creation Heaven.”

“Which would you choose, rebirth as a god in the Heaven of the Masters of Others’ Creations or as a god in Brahmāloka?”

“Lord Śāriputra, I would choose rebirth as a god in Brahmāloka over rebirth as a god in the Heaven of the Masters of Others’ Creations.”

“Son of Grasping, did you say that you would choose Brahmāloka?”

“Yes, Lord Śāriputra, I did say that I would choose Brahmāloka.”

For a moment Son of Grasping did not say anything. Then he asked Śāriputra, “Lord Śāriputra, now that I’ve chosen Brahmāloka over god in the Heaven of the Masters of Others’ Creations, [F.280.a] is there a path that leads to rebirth in Brahmāloka?”

“Yes, Son of Grasping, there is a way. There is a path. Faithful sons and daughters of good lineage who in greater part remain in meditation upon it, casting away all yearning for their desires, will be born into worlds equal in fortune to Brahmāloka. If I explain it to you, will you be able to understand?”

“Tell me, Lord Śāriputra, and I shall listen.”

“Son of Grasping, noble listeners cast aside generating the subsidiary afflictive emotions toward the five sense pleasures, cast aside the tendency that perpetuates ignoble states of existence, and cast aside the tendency for conflict that keeps them from passing beyond suffering. Their minds are suffused with love, and they become magnanimous‍—without hostility, envy, or ill will.

“By meditating deeply on the nondual and the immeasurable, they devote themselves to the first of the cardinal directions, until they have pervaded it to its very end, and abide therein, their minds suffused with love for the whole world in all its aspects. In the very same way, whether in the second, third, or fourth of the cardinal directions, above, below, or straight ahead, they become magnanimous‍—without hostility, envy, or ill will. They meditate deeply on the nondual and the immeasurable and devote themselves to a single cardinal direction, pervading it to its very end, and abide therein.”

Śāriputra went on to also explain this in detail with regard to compassion, joy, and great equanimity.

“Son of Grasping, this is the way, this is the path. Faithful sons and daughters of a good lineage who in greater part remain in meditation on it and cast away all yearning for their desires will be born into worlds equal in fortune to Brahmāloka.” Having thus led Son of Grasping to abide in the four immeasurables, Venerable Śāriputra departed.

As soon as Venerable Śāriputra had gone, the Blessed One thought, “The truths as the monk Śāriputra told them to Son of Grasping [F.280.b] are not complete.” Having thought this, he disappeared from Bamboo Grove and appeared sitting in the house of the brahmin Son of Grasping.

The brahmin Son of Grasping saw the Blessed One sitting there upon a cushion, and he experienced a surge of joy toward the Blessed One. In his joy he rose from his own seat and stood. Then the Blessed One taught him the Dharma particularly suited to him, and the brahmin Son of Grasping manifested the resultant state of non-return right where he sat.

After the Blessed One had placed the brahmin Son of Grasping in the resultant state of non-return, he disappeared from the home of Son of Grasping, and before Śāriputra was able to reach Bamboo Grove, the Blessed One arrived and took his seat at Bamboo Grove.

Soon after the Blessed One had departed, the brahmin Son of Grasping died, transmigrated, and took birth in Brahmāloka.

Venerable Śāriputra went to see the Blessed One. When he arrived, he touched his head to the Blessed One’s feet and took a seat at one side. Then the Blessed One asked Venerable Śāriputra, “Śāriputra, whence have you just come?”

“Lord,” replied Venerable Śāriputra, “I have just come from leading the brahmin Son of Grasping to dwell in the four immeasurables.”

“Śāriputra,” the Blessed One asked further, “why did you not teach the truths to the brahmin Son of Grasping? Had he understood that teaching, he would have realized the Dharma and Vinaya. Śāriputra, after you left, I disappeared from Bamboo Grove and went to the house of the brahmin Son of Grasping and taught him the truths. He manifested the resultant state of non-return, and soon after, he died, transmigrated, and took birth in Brahmāloka. [F.281.a] After leading Son of Grasping to abide in the truths, I returned to Bamboo Grove before you had arrived here.”

Venerable Śāriputra replied to the Blessed One, “Lord, it is wonderful that the blessed buddhas possess such wonderful Dharma.”

“Lord,” the monks asked the Blessed Buddha, “what action did the brahmin Son of Grasping take that ripened into his birth into a family of great means, prosperity, and wealth, and that he pleased the Blessed One, and did not displease him?”

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

“Lord, where did he make these prayers?”

“Monks,” the Blessed One recounted, “in times gone by, during the reign of King Nāgadeva in the city of Ayodhyā, the kingdom was prosperous, flourishing, happy, and well populated. Quarreling and arguments had ceased, there was no fighting or infighting, and there were no robbers, thieves, illness, or famine. Rice, sugarcane, cattle, and buffalo were plentiful. His was a reign in accord with the Dharma. He ruled the kingdom gently and mercifully, as a parent cares for a beloved only child.

“At that time in the city of Ayodhyā, King Nāgadeva had a certain magistrate, prosperous and wealthy, a person of vast and magnificent means, endowed with the wealth of Vaiśravaṇa‍—with wealth to rival Vaiśravaṇa’s. He accepted money from the brahmins and householders on behalf of the king, and he accepted money from the king on behalf of the brahmins and householders.

“Now at that time there was also a certain poor brahmin who happened to be standing not too far from the brahmin magistrate just as the brahmin magistrate accepted money from brahmins and householders on behalf of the king [F.281.b] and accepted money from the king on behalf of the brahmins and householders. Because he did this, the magistrate was able to stay up on the roof of his palatial home in the company of only women, playing music, enjoying himself, and coupling with them.

“The poor brahmin thought, ‘All the glorious experiences he’s having are the result of three types of actions: giving, ethical discipline, and keeping one’s vows perfectly. I will make sure to take up just a fraction of his virtuous qualities and maintain it, and my poverty will come to an end.’ Such were the thoughts he had.

“Now in times when a blessed one has not arisen in the world, the solitary buddhas appear. So it was that a solitary buddha came to his door. When the poor brahmin saw the solitary buddha from a distance, he felt a surge of joy toward him. In his joy the brahmin offered alms to the solitary buddha.

“Those great beings do not teach the Dharma with words but through their actions, so the sage accepted the alms and rose into the sky. This caused the brahmin particular delight, and, bowing down at his feet, he prayed, ‘Oh, by this root of virtue, wherever I am born, may it be into a family of great means, prosperity, and wealth. May I, on behalf of the king, accept money from the brahmins and householders, and on behalf of the brahmins and householders, accept money from the king. May I please and not displease a teacher even more exalted than this.’

“O monks, what do you think? The one who was that poor brahmin then is none other than Son of Grasping. The act of offering alms to a solitary buddha and saying that prayer ripened such that wherever he was born, [F.282.a] it was into a family of great means, prosperity, and wealth, and that he accepted money from the brahmin householders on behalf of the king, and accepted money from the king on behalf of the brahmins and householders.

“Monks, I am more exalted than even one hundred billion solitary buddhas, and now he has pleased me and not displeased me.

“He also became a lay vow holder in the doctrine of the totally and completely awakened Buddha Kāśyapa and went for refuge and maintained the fundamental precepts all his life. Then, at the time of his death, he 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.’

“O monks, what do you think? The one who was that lay vow holder then is none other than Son of Grasping. At that time he went for refuge and maintained the fundamental precepts all his life, and at the time of his death, he 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.’

“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 he has pleased me and not displeased me.”

Among165 the gods of the Heaven of the Thirty-Three, in the retinue of Śakra, king of the gods, there was a certain gandharva king named Supriya. Supriya would sing songs about Śakra, king of the gods, much to Śakra’s delight.

Now when the Bodhisattva, having looked out upon the world and made the four observations from his place in Tuṣita Heaven,166 [F.282.b] entered his mother’s womb, at that time Śakra, king of the gods, said to the gandharva king Supriya, “Supriya, a certain bodhisattva has passed away from Tuṣita Heaven, transmigrated, and reincarnated in his mother’s womb. After he is born and has grown, he will gain the nectar of immortality and satiate living beings. You should also take birth in Jambudvīpa so that he might also grant you a share of the nectar of immortality.”

“Kauśika,” Supriya told him, “I have just begun composing a song, but once it is finished, I shall go.”

At that time in the city of Kuśinagarī, all the young athletes of Kuśinagarī held in high esteem a mendicant named Subhadra, a person of miracles. They revered, honored, venerated, and admired him. He spent his days on the banks of Lake Anavatapta, and the gods and nāgas there held him in high esteem, accepted him as their guru, and honored and venerated him.

Sometimes he would spend the entire day on the banks of Lake Anavatapta. At other times he went and sat in a forest of udumbara trees, not far from the lake.

When the Bodhisattva was born, Śakra, King of the Gods, said to the gandharva king Supriya, “Supriya, now that the Bodhisattva has been born, come!167 Let us make an effort to offer him our adoration.”

“Kauśika,” Supriya told him, “I have just begun composing a song, but once it is finished, I shall go.”

Through the greatness of the Bodhisattva, there in the udumbara forest the udumbara flowers began to bloom. The mendicant Subhadra saw that the udumbara flowers were blooming and was thrilled at the sight. He thought, “The mendicants of old are aged and infirm now. It was from the great masters of their school [F.283.a] that I heard that tathāgatas, arhats, totally and completely awakened buddhas, universal monarchs, and udumbara flowers arise but rarely. It is on account of my merit that the udumbara flowers in the udumbara forest are blooming.”

When the Bodhisattva witnessed old age, sickness, and death and went to live in the charnel grounds, Śakra, king of the gods, said to the gandharva king Supriya, “Supriya, the Bodhisattva has witnessed old age, sickness, and death, and has gone to live in the forest. Let us make an effort to offer him our adoration.”

“Kauśika,” Supriya told him, “I have just begun composing a song, but once it is finished, I shall go.”

When the Bodhisattva achieved unexcelled wisdom, he enumerated the four truths of noble beings three times over, setting in proper motion the Dharma wheel in its twelve aspects, and Śakra said again to the gandharva king Supriya, “Supriya, the Blessed One has achieved unexcelled enlightenment, enumerated the four truths of noble beings three times over, and set the Dharma wheel in its twelve aspects in proper motion. Let us go to listen to the Dharma.”

“Kauśika,” Supriya told him, “I have just begun composing a song, but once it is finished, I shall go.”

When the Blessed One enumerated the four truths of noble beings three times over and set the Dharma wheel in its twelve aspects in proper motion, all the flowers in the udumbara forest began to bloom, and their fragrance spread for many leagues. This caused the mendicant Subhadra particular delight, and he thought, “It is on account of my merit that all this has happened.”

When the Blessed One enumerated the four truths of noble beings three times over and set the Dharma wheel in its twelve aspects in proper motion, [F.283.b] he also tamed the group of five friends, the group of five close friends, and the group of fifty of the city’s young elite.

When he traveled to the cottonwood forest he established sixty of his paternal relatives in the truths.

When he traveled to the village of Serika168 he established young Nandā and Nandabalā, who lived there in that village, in the truths.

When he traveled to Uruvilvā he led the one thousand longhaired ascetics to go forth as novices and then conferred on them full ordination.

When he traveled to the stūpa at Gayāśīrṣa he won the trust of thousands of monks with three miraculous transformations, and established them in the unsurpassed, supreme welfare of nirvāṇa.

When he traveled to the Forest of Reeds he established Śreṇiya Bimbisāra, King of Magadha, along with eighty thousand gods and hundreds upon hundreds of thousands of the householders of Magadha, in the truths.

When he traveled to Rājagṛha he accepted the gift of Bamboo Grove, led Śāriputra, Maudgalyāyana, and their suites of two hundred and fifty attendants to go forth as novices, and then conferred on them full ordination.

When he traveled to Śrāvastī he accepted the gift of the garden of Prince Jeta, made a great display of miracles, and led Cunda to go forth as a novice, who then cast away all afflictive emotions and manifested arhatship.

After that, Cunda used his miraculous powers as a means of travel and, traveling from place to place, would scoop flowers and fruits onto large leaves, carry them from one place to another, and bring them as offerings to his preceptor and to the saṅgha.

So it was that one day he traveled to the banks of Lake Anavatapta. He was very happy to be there and stayed the whole day until the mendicant Subhadra said, “My friend, this is where I spend the day. Please don’t stay here.”

“This place is open to everyone,” the novice Cunda replied.

“Let us have a contest of miracles,” proposed the mendicant Subhadra said. “Whoever wins can spend the day here.”

The two began their competition in the display of miracles, [F.284.a] and the novice Cunda defeated the mendicant Subhadra, who, quite chagrined, went back to dwelling in the udumbara forest.

When the Blessed One had carried out all the activities of a buddha, he traveled to the city of Kuśinagarī, where he took to his final bed. The Blessed One thought, “Now there are two disciples that the Tathāgata should tame‍—the mendicant Subhadra, and the gandharva king Supriya.” The Blessed One also thought, “I can easily tame the mendicant Subhadra, but since the gandharva king Supriya is arrogant and aloof, he will not come to see me, so I will go to him.”

The Blessed One left behind an emanation, disappeared from the copse of two śāla trees, and traveled to the Heaven of the Thirty-Three where he arrived at the gates of the palace of the gandharva king Supriya. The Blessed One thought, “After I shatter his ego, he will become a vessel for the truths.” Then, to tame him, the Blessed One magically manifested himself as a gandharva king bearing a lute with a hundred thousand strings of blue beryl, went up to the gate of the gandharva king Supriya, and sent a message, saying, “A gandharva king stands at the gates. He wishes to play the lute with you.”

As soon as he heard this, the gandharva king Supriya thought, “What? There can’t be another gandharva king! I shall eliminate him.” With this thought, he said, “Call him inside! I will show him what I can do.”

Once he had been invited inside they began to play their lutes together. Then, to tame him, the Blessed One cut a single string from his own lute. The gandharva king Supriya, noticing this, cut one string from his lute as well. Then the Blessed One gradually cut all the strings from his lute, until only one remained, from which [F.284.b] every note continued to sound. So Supriya also cut away all his strings, and likewise made every note sound from a single string.

Then the Blessed One cut even that lone remaining string, yet every note continued to sound.

The gandharva king Supriya thought, “I cannot do any more than this. So be it‍—he is far better than I.”

The Blessed One directly apprehended that Supriya’s arrogance was gone, and that he no longer thought, “There is no one like me!” Having thus shattered Supriya’s ego, the Blessed One assumed his natural form.

When he saw the Blessed One, Supriya experienced a surge of joy. In his joy he bowed down at the Blessed One’s feet and sat before him to listen to the Dharma. The Blessed One directly apprehended his thoughts, habitual tendencies, temperament, capacity, and nature, and taught him the Dharma accordingly.

When he heard it, the gandharva king Supriya 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 he sat.

After the Blessed One disappeared from among the gods of the Heaven of the Thirty-Three, the flowers of the udumbara forest began to fade. The mendicant Subhadra saw that the flowers of the udumbara forest were fading, and great sorrow arose in him. He thought, “It is on account of my merit that flowers bloomed throughout the udumbara forest, but now that I am old and infirm, 120 years of age, the flowers of the udumbara forest are fading. It is certain, then‍—I shall die before long.” At this the mendicant began to grieve and suffer greatly, wailing and lamenting.

Thereupon a god who was fond of Subhadra [F.285.a] said to him, “It was not at all on account of your merit that the flowers in the udumbara forest bloomed, for this place is the royal garden of a great universal monarch. The flowers in the udumbara forest first blossom whenever a universal monarch or a bodhisattva appears. Whenever a universal monarch is enthroned on his royal seat or a bodhisattva achieves unexcelled wisdom, flowers fully bloom throughout the udumbara forest. Whenever the time is near for the passing of the universal monarch or for the Tathāgata to pass into parinirvāṇa, the flowers of the udumbara forest begin to fade. When the universal monarch passes or the Tathāgata enters parinirvāṇa, the flowers of the udumbara forest wither.

“Now the Tathāgata is in the world, and he has taken to his final bed. Tonight, in the middle of the night, he will pass beyond sorrow into the realm of nirvāṇa without any remainder of the aggregates. This is why the udumbara forest is fading. Do not mourn so. Do not suffer so. Do not lament.”

The mendicant Subhadra thought, “I have doubts about the Dharma, but I have hope that the Blessed Gautama can dispel my doubts. I will go see the Blessed Gautama, and if he agrees to answer my questions, I shall ask some questions of him.” So he disappeared from the udumbara forest and traveled to the copse of two śāla trees near Kuśinagarī.

At that time Venerable Ānanda drew near to the gates of Kuśinagarī and seated himself. The mendicant Subhadra saw Venerable Ānanda from a distance, and went to where Venerable Ānanda was. Upon his arrival he said to Venerable Ānanda, “Lord Ānanda, I [F.285.b] have heard that tonight, in the middle of the night, the Blessed One will pass beyond all sorrow into the realm of nirvāṇa without any remainder of the aggregates. I have doubts about the Dharma but I have hope that the Blessed Gautama can dispel my doubts. Oh Lord Ānanda, if it’s no trouble, I will go see the Blessed Gautama, and if he agrees to answer my questions when I arrive, I will ask some questions of him.”

Venerable Ānanda, being skilled in the interpretation of signs, thought, “The Blessed One has left an emanation here, and departed using his powers of subjugation.” Understanding this, he said to the mendicant Subhadra, “Relent, Subhadra. The Blessed One is tired, the Tathāgata is tired. Don’t trouble the Tathāgata.”

The mendicant Subhadra said to Venerable Ānanda, “Lord Ānanda, the mendicants of old are aged and infirm now. It was from them that I heard that the tathāgatas, the arhats, the totally and completely awakened buddhas emerge in the world but rarely, like the udumbara flower. If tonight, in the middle of the night, the Blessed Gautama will pass beyond all sorrow into the realm of nirvāṇa without any remainder of the aggregates, then since I have some doubts about the Dharma and hope that the Blessed Gautama can dispel my doubts, and if it’s no trouble, Lord Ānanda, let me go see the Blessed Gautama. If he agrees to answer my questions when I arrive, I will ask some questions of him.”

Three times Ānanda answered the mendicant Subhadra, “Relent, Subhadra. The Blessed One is tired, the Tathāgata is tired. [F.286.a] Don’t trouble the Tathāgata.”

At that very moment the Blessed One disappeared from among the gods of the Heaven of the Thirty-Three and took to his bed. With his perfectly clear divine hearing, which transcends that of normal humans, the Blessed One heard the words that Venerable Ānanda was speaking to the mendicant Subhadra and the Blessed One instructed Venerable Ānanda, “Ānanda, send him in. Send the mendicant Subhadra inside, and do not impede him. Let him ask whatever he likes. This is the last occasion on which I shall address those who hold extreme views, and this mendicant, Subhadra, will be the last monk I shall lead to go forth with the words ‘Come, monk!’ ”

The mendicant Subhadra was joyful, overjoyed, and elated that the Blessed One had granted this opportunity. In his jubilation, joy, and gladness he went to see the Blessed One. Upon his arrival he made all manner of entertaining and jovial conservation with the Blessed One, then took a seat at one side.

Once he had taken a seat at one side, the mendicant Subhadra said to the Blessed One, “Gautama, in the world people hold many different kinds of extreme views, such as those of Pūraṇa Kāśyapa, Parivrājaka Gośālīputra, Saṃjayin Vairaṭīputra, Ajita Keśakambala, Kakuda Kātyāyana, and Nirgrantha Jñātiputra, each of them with their own sacred pledges.”

Then the Blessed One responded in verse, saying:

“Subhadra, a Dharma and Vinaya in which there is no noble eightfold path lacks even the first monastic practitioner, and lacks the second, third, and fourth as well.169 Subhadra, a Dharma and Vinaya that includes the noble eightfold path has the first monastic practitioner, and the second, third, and fourth as well. That is why I have said that there are no ascetics or brahmins of other factions, for espousing false doctrines, they are devoid of ascetics and brahmins. With a lion’s perfect roar I proclaim this before the assembly.”

When this Dharma teaching had been explained, the mendicant Subhadra was able to see these things unobscured, with the Dharma vision that has no trace of dust or stain with respect to phenomena. Subhadra perceived the truths, discovered the truths, realized the truths, and fathomed the truths to their very depths, until he overcame whatever doubts or hesitation he had.

Then of his own accord, completely unprompted, and unafraid of the truths his teacher had taught him, he rose from his seat, drew down the right shoulder of his upper garment, bowed toward the Blessed One with palms pressed together, and said to Venerable Ānanda, “Lord Ānanda, you have achieved much that is good. Lord Ānanda, you have been empowered as a great master by the great master himself. Similarly, I have achieved much that is good. If permitted I wish to go forth in the Dharma and Vinaya so well spoken, complete my novitiate, and achieve full ordination. In the presence of the Blessed One, I too wish to practice the holy life.”

Venerable Ānanda rose from his seat, drew down the right shoulder of his upper garment, bowed toward the Blessed One with palms pressed together, and asked the Blessed One, “Lord, this mendicant wishes to go forth in the Dharma and Vinaya so well spoken, complete his novitiate, and achieve full ordination. [F.287.a] I would like to request the Blessed One out of compassion to lead him to go forth.”

Then the Blessed One said to the mendicant Subhadra, “Come, monk! Practice the holy life.”

As soon as the Blessed One had finished speaking there he stood, alms bowl and water pitcher in hand, with but a week’s worth of hair and beard, and with the deportment of a monk who had been ordained for one hundred years. As it is stated:

Then the Blessed One conferred on him instruction, and, casting away all afflictive emotions through diligence, practice, and effort, he manifested arhatship. As an arhat, free from the attachments of the three realms, his mind regarded gold no differently than filth, and the palms of his hands as like space itself. He became cool like wet sandalwood. His insight crushed ignorance like an eggshell. He achieved the insights, superknowledges, and discriminations. He had no regard for worldly profit, passion, or acclaim. He became an object of offering, veneration, and respectful address by Indra, Upendra, and the other gods.

The thought occurred to Venerable Subhadra, “It is not my fate that I should see our teacher pass into parinirvāṇa, so I will make the following fivefold resolve:

“With the thought that I might enter nirvāṇa before the Buddha, may fellow practitioners of the holy life see me as a monk, and may those who hold extreme views see me as one who holds extreme views.

“May fellow practitioners of the holy life find it easy to come and see me, and may others who hold extreme views see me as surrounded by a great mass of water.

“May fellow practitioners of the holy life [F.287.b] bear my relics on a palanquin, and may their opponents, be there even hundreds or thousands of them, not be able to lift them.

“May fellow practitioners of the holy life kindle the fire to burn my relics, and may their opponents, be there even hundreds or thousands of them, not be able to light it.

“May fellow practitioners of the holy life view my relics, and upon doing so, may they venerate my relics, and may others who hold extreme views not be able to view them.”

After Venerable Subhadra had made this fivefold resolve, he passed into parinirvāṇa. All the gods in Kuśinagarī proclaimed that Subhadra had passed into parinirvāṇa, and as soon as the philosophical extremists heard this they hoisted banners made of cotton, announcing on the highways, in the streets, at crossroads, and at forks in the road, “The ascetic Gautama claims there are no ascetics or brahmins from other factions, for they are proponents of other views devoid of ascetics and brahmins. With a lion’s perfect roar he proclaimed this before the assembly.” They went all over Kuśinagarī, proclaiming, “This practitioner of our code of conduct has now passed into parinirvāṇa!” Then they went to the copse of two śāla trees where Subhadra lay, but they were unable to enter. The monks saw them and asked, “What are you doing here?”

“Our friend, who practiced our code of conduct, has passed into parinirvāṇa. We have come to venerate his relics,” they replied.

“It was our code of conduct he practiced, not yours,” the monks said. “Didn’t you see him with a shaved head, wearing holy robes and patched raiment?”

“We saw him carrying three sticks and a ritual vase,” they replied.

“If you believe he was practicing your code of conduct, then go ahead with your veneration,” said the monks.

When they heard this the extremists [F.288.a] wished to go see Subhadra, but they found he was surrounded by a great mass of water and could not proceed.

“It was our code of conduct he practiced, not yours,” the monks said to them. “Thus it is easy for us to approach him. You may go to see him, with our consent.” So they all went to where Subhadra’s relics lay.

The monks said, “If you think he was practicing your disciplines, then carry his palanquin.” As soon as the extremists heard this, they all said, “We will carry Subhadra’s palanquin!” but found they were unable to lift it.

“It was our code of conduct he practiced,” said the monks, “so we will carry his palanquin and pay him homage‍—look here!” And the monks carried his palanquin. After they placed it in the charnel grounds the monks said, “If you think he was practicing your disciplines, then kindle the fire to burn his relics.”

“We’ll light the fire to burn his relics!” the extremists said, but they were unable to light the fire.

“It was our code of conduct he practiced,” said the monks, “so we will light the fire to burn his relics.” After they said this, the monks lit the fire to burn his relics. Then they continued, “If you think he was practicing your disciplines, extinguish the fire burning his relics with milk.”

“We’ll extinguish the fire burning his relics!” the extremists said, but they were not able to put it out.

“It was our code of conduct he practiced,” said the monks, “so we will extinguish the fire burning his relics,” and they extinguished the fire burning his relics.

After extinguishing the fire, they continued, “If you think he was practicing your disciplines, take up his relics and venerate them.”

The extremists [F.288.b] said, “We’ll take up his relics!” but they couldn’t see the relics, so the monks collected the relics, placed them in a stūpa, and venerated it with incense, incense powders and cones, and flowers. [B25]

“Lord,” the monks requested the Blessed One, “tell us why Venerable Subhadra, after going forth last of all, was first to pass into parinirvāṇa, and how the Blessed One will now pass into parinirvāṇa after him.”

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

“Lord, where did he make these prayers?”

“Monks,” recounted the Blessed One, “in times past, in this fortunate eon, when people lived as long as twenty thousand years, King Kṛkī reigned in the city of Vārāṇasī. At that time King Kṛkī’s magistrate had a child who was well proportioned, pleasing to the eye, and beautiful, with glowing, golden skin and a well-rounded head, long arms, a broad brow, a fine and prominent nose, and eyebrows that met, graced with the thirty-two signs of great persons, and embellished by the eighty minor marks of perfection. At the elaborate feast celebrating his birth they asked, ‘What name should we give this child?’ And they named him, saying, ‘Since this is a child of the Kāśyapa clan, his name will likewise be Kāśyapa.’

“They reared young Kāśyapa on milk, yogurt, butter, ghee, and milk solids, and when he had grown, the soothsayers and augurs made this prediction: ‘If young Kāśyapa does not go forth, he will become a universal monarch, but if he shaves his head and face and dons the colorful religious robes, and if with nothing short of perfect faith he goes forth from home to live as a mendicant, then he will be renowned throughout the world as a tathāgata, an arhat, a totally and completely awakened buddha.’ [F.289.a]

“Bodhisattva Kāśyapa’s best friend was a young brahmin named Aśoka. When he heard the prophecy he said, ‘My friend, do not end our friendship to go live in a forest for practicing austerities.’ The Bodhisattva, in reference to his passing into nirvāṇa, said, ‘As long as we are friends, I shall not go.’ So Aśoka was very unhappy when Bodhisattva Kāśyapa went to live in the forest after witnessing old age, sickness, and death and thought, ‘He didn’t do as he promised.’

“After Bodhisattva Kāśyapa achieved unexcelled, total, and complete enlightenment and traveled to Vārāṇasī, where he thrice turned the Dharma wheel in its twelve aspects, he was invited for food by King Kṛkī. That night the king arranged for the road to be beautified and prepared many good, wholesome foods. In the morning he rose, prepared seats, and filled the water pots. Then the king sent a message to the Blessed One reminding him of the time, and, bearing burning sticks of incense, incense powders, and incense cones, flowers, parasols, banners, and flags, amid a crashing of cymbals, he set out from Ṛṣivadana. He greeted the totally and completely awakened Buddha Kāśyapa with great opulence and invited him to Vārāṇasī.

“The young brahmin Aśoka heard that Bodhisattva Kāśyapa had achieved unexcelled, total, and complete enlightenment. He heard that the Bodhisattva had traveled to Vārāṇasī where he was invited for food by King Kṛkī, and that King Kṛkī had arranged for the road to be beautified, had prepared many good, wholesome foods that night, and then had risen in the morning, prepared seats, and filled the water pots. He heard that the king had sent the Blessed One a message reminding him of the time; that he had borne burning sticks of incense, incense powders, and incense cones, [F.289.b] parasols, banners, and flags, amid a crashing of cymbals; that he had set out from Ṛṣivadana; and that he had greeted the totally and completely awakened Buddha Kāśyapa with great opulence and invited him to Vārāṇasī. After hearing all this, because he was so upset before, he sat at a distance and looked on, not wishing to approach.

“The totally and completely awakened Buddha focused his mind and, extending his arm like an elephant’s trunk, grasped him and drew him near, saying, ‘Aśoka, why don’t you wish to come meet me?’

“ ‘You promised that wherever you went, you would bring me with you,’ he replied. ‘But even after your promise, you departed alone for a forest devoted to austerities. I didn’t come because I was so upset before.’

“The totally and completely awakened Buddha Kāśyapa explained, ‘It was in reference to my passing into nirvāṇa that I spoke thus. Now the time has come to keep my promise. What use would it have been if you had already gone to nirvāṇa?’170

“ ‘Lord,’ Aśoka said, ‘if permitted I wish to go forth in the Dharma and Vinaya so well spoken, complete my novitiate, and achieve full ordination. In the presence of the Blessed One, I too wish to practice the holy life.”

“With the words ‘Come, join me, monk!’ the totally and completely awakened Buddha Kāśyapa led him to go forth as a novice, conferred on him full ordination, and instructed him. But as he pondered the instructions, he became lazy, and merely lay about. Then, when the totally and completely awakened Buddha Kāśyapa spoke in praise of solitude, he took it to heart and went into solitude.

“While he was staying there, the totally and completely awakened Buddha Kāśyapa carried out all the activities of a buddha and took to his final bed. Thereupon the gods proclaimed to all, ‘This very night, in the middle of the night, the totally and completely awakened Buddha Kāśyapa will pass beyond all sorrow into the realm of nirvāṇa without any remainder of the aggregates.’ [F.290.a]

“The monk Aśoka heard what the gods said as they flew through the sky, and became very upset. ‘Now the Blessed One will pass into nirvāṇa,’ he thought, ‘and I have not achieved anything of significance.’ He began to grieve and suffer greatly, wailing and lamenting.

“A god who was fond of him saw him and asked, ‘O Aśoka, why do you grieve and suffer so, wailing and lamenting? What would you do if you could go see the totally and completely awakened Buddha Kāśyapa?’

“ ‘Whatever the totally and completely awakened Buddha Kāśyapa has said in his teachings should be done. I would do it all,’ Aśoka replied.

“No sooner had the god heard this than he picked him up and set him down right in front of the totally and completely awakened Buddha Kāśyapa. Aśoka approached the totally and completely awakened Buddha Kāśyapa, and upon his arrival he touched his head to his feet and took a seat at one side. Then the Blessed One taught him the Dharma particularly suited to him, and when he heard it, he cast away all afflictive emotions and manifested arhatship right where he sat.

“Upon achieving arhatship, Aśoka thought, ‘It is not my fate that I should see our teacher pass into parinirvāṇa. I will pass into parinirvāṇa before him.’ And after Aśoka had passed into parinirvāṇa, the totally and completely awakened Kāśyapa too passed into parinirvāṇa.

“The god thought, ‘Anything of significance he achieved was on account of my powers,’ and he prayed, ‘By this root of virtue, 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. May I go forth in his doctrine alone, and may my teacher pass into parinirvāṇa only after I pass into parinirvāṇa before him.’ [F.290.b]

“O monks, what do you think? The one who was the god then is none other than Subhadra. At that time he 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. May my teacher pass into parinirvāṇa only after I pass into parinirvāṇa before him.’

“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 he has pleased me, not displeased me, gone forth in my very doctrine, cast away all afflictive emotions, and manifested arhatship.

“Because he also prayed, ‘May my teacher pass into parinirvāṇa only after I pass into parinirvāṇa before him,’ it is only now, after he has passed into parinirvāṇa, that I too shall pass into parinirvāṇa.

“Furthermore, monks, in times gone by, some five hundred sages were living deep in a certain forest. In that particular forest there also lived a god who was very fond of the sages. At that time the tathāgata, the arhat, 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 Krakucchanda was in the world.

“At that time the totally and completely awakened Buddha Krakucchanda also happened to be teaching before a great gathering, of which the god was a part. After hearing the Dharma from the totally and completely awakened Buddha Krakucchanda, he went to live deep in the forest, where he spoke the praises of the totally and completely awakened Buddha Krakucchanda to the sages. [F.291.a] As soon as they heard him, the sages were eager to see the totally and completely awakened Buddha Krakucchanda, and they prayed fervently to the god, until they were able to171 travel to where the totally and completely awakened Buddha Krakucchanda was.

“All five hundred sages saw the totally and completely awakened Buddha Krakucchanda from a distance. His body, graced and resplendent with the thirty-two signs of a great person, looked like it was on fire, like flames stoked with ghee, like a lamp set in a golden vessel, and like a pillar adorned with all manner of jewels. He was immaculate, clear-minded, and pure of heart. When they saw the Blessed Buddha the sight of him filled them with supreme joy, for beings who have gathered the roots of virtue to see a buddha for the first time experience such rapture as is not to be had even by those who practice calm abiding meditation for twelve years.

“Filled with such joy, they went to where the totally and completely awakened Buddha Krakucchanda was, and upon their arrival they touched their heads to his feet and sat before him to listen to the Dharma. Then the totally and completely awakened Buddha Krakucchanda, directly apprehending their thoughts, habitual tendencies, temperaments, capacities, and natures, taught them the Dharma accordingly. Hearing it, the five hundred sages realized the truths and immediately manifested the resultant state of non-return right where they sat.

“After seeing the truths, they requested, ‘Lord, if permitted we wish to go forth in the Dharma and Vinaya so well spoken, complete our novitiates, and achieve full ordination. In the presence of the Blessed One, we too wish to practice the holy life.’

“By speaking the words ‘Come, join me, monks!’ to the five hundred sages, the totally and completely awakened Buddha Krakucchanda [F.291.b] led them to go forth as novices, conferred on them full ordination, and instructed them. Casting away all afflictive emotions through diligence, practice, and effort, they manifested arhatship.

“As arhats, free from the attachments of the three realms, their minds regarded gold no differently than filth, and the palms of their hands as like space itself. They became cool like wet sandalwood. Their insight crushed ignorance like an eggshell. They achieved the insights, superknowledges, and discriminations. They had no regard for worldly profit, passion, or acclaim. They became objects of offering, veneration, and respectful address by Indra, Upendra, and the other gods.

“When the totally and completely awakened Krakucchanda had carried out all the activities of a buddha and wished to pass beyond all sorrow in the realm of nirvāṇa without any remainder of the aggregates, he took to his final bed. The five hundred monks thought, ‘It wouldn’t be right to see our teacher pass into parinirvāṇa. We should pass into parinirvāṇa before him.’ And after all five hundred monks passed into parinirvāṇa, the totally and completely awakened Buddha Krakucchanda too passed into parinirvāṇa.

“The god prayed, ‘Whatever great virtues they achieved were on account of my powers, so by this root of virtue, may I please and not displease a teacher just like this one. May I go forth in his doctrine alone, cast away all afflictive emotions, and manifest arhatship, and may my teacher pass into parinirvāṇa only after I have passed into parinirvāṇa.’

“O monks, what do you think? The one who was that god then [F.292.a] is none other than Subhadra. Monks, because of his prayers, and now that I myself have become the very equal of the totally and completely awakened Buddha Krakucchanda‍—equal in strength, equal in deeds, and equal in skillful means‍—he has pleased me, not displeased me, gone forth in my very doctrine, cast away all afflictive emotions, and manifested arhatship. And it is only now, after he has passed into parinirvāṇa, that I too shall pass into parinirvāṇa.”

“Lord,” the monks requested the Blessed One, “tell us why, as the Blessed One was deathly ill, he protected Venerable Subhadra, then established him in the unsurpassed, supreme welfare of nirvāṇa.”

“Not only now,” the Blessed One explained, “but in times past as well, and in the same way, as I was sick unto death, I brought him out of danger and established him in a state of fearlessness. Listen well!

“Monks, in times gone by, King Brahmadatta reigned in the city of Vārāṇasī. King Brahmadatta had a certain extraordinarily clever horse. Because of its abilities, King Brahmadatta was able to collect taxes from all the different neighboring kingdoms.

“One day this clever horse died, and the news spread far and wide as people reported, ‘King Brahmadatta’s clever horse has died.’ As soon as the neighboring kings heard this, they all thought, ‘Whatever taxes he levied against us, he could levy only by the grace of this clever horse. Now when we see him coming, we can do as we please.’ They then waited for an opportunity to expose his vulnerabilities. King Brahmadatta heard the news that the neighboring kings were waiting to expose his vulnerabilities, [F.292.b] and as soon as he heard this he became afraid and could no longer leave the city.

“Soon after, some merchants came to Vārāṇasī from the north with horses to sell. King Brahmadatta heard that merchants had arrived from the north with horses to sell, and straightaway he dispatched experts in the examination of horses. ‘Go and buy all the horses that are coming,’ he told them, ‘especially if there is a clever horse among them‍—be on the lookout for that.’

King Brahmadatta’s attendants replied, ‘As you wish, Deva.’ They bought all the horses and examined them, and took the most clever horse among them to offer to the king. As soon as he heard this, the king was very pleased, and he presented the merchants with a great deal of gold and silver.

“One day he mounted the clever horse and rode out to the gardens. When the neighboring kings heard that King Brahmadatta had ridden out to the gardens, they arrayed the four division of their armies and met in Vārāṇasī, where they surrounded the gardens. Desperate and not knowing what to do, King Brahmadatta thought, ‘Which way should I go?’ He thought, ‘I must drop everything, mount my clever horse, and leave the gardens,’ but when he looked out, he saw the gardens were surrounded by the armies of his opponents.

“It was in the clever horse’s nature to save the king’s life. There was a ditch that separated the garden from the city‍—a very deep ditch, thick with lotus flowers. The clever horse thought, ‘There’s nowhere else to go,’ and stepped out onto the lotus petals to return to the city. When the neighboring kings saw this, they split open the clever horse’s belly with a sharp arrow shaped like a fishtail. [F.293.a]

“When the king saw this, he was terrified, and thought, ‘If this horse dies here in the middle of the water, I will surely be done for.’

“The clever horse knew the king was terrified, and to reassure him, said in verse:

“With those words, the clever horse bore the king into the city, and, having protected the king, he died.

“O monks, what do you think? I am the one who was the clever horse then, and lived the life of a bodhisattva. The one who was the king then is none other than Subhadra. At that time, stricken with acute pain at the moment of death I delivered him from fear and established him in a state of fearlessness. Now as well, stricken with acute pain at the moment of death I have delivered him from the dangers of saṃsāra and established him in the unsurpassed, supreme welfare of nirvāṇa.

“Yet another time, stricken with acute pain at the moment of death, I delivered him from fear and protected him. Listen well!

“Monks, in times gone by, King Karṇa reigned in the city of Kanyakubja. The king was very fond of deer hunting, so one day he arrayed the four divisions of his army and set out on a hunt. On the banks of a certain river a herd of five hundred deer had stopped to rest, and the king had them surrounded by the four divisions of his army so that not a single deer could escape.

“The deer that led the herd thought, ‘As the leader of the herd, I must think only of its welfare and happiness.’ He cast all about, wondering, ‘Which way should the deer go to escape?’ As he looked about, he saw a raging river, [F.293.b] and its riverbank was the only place that was not surrounded by the four divisions of the army. No one was on the riverbank.

“The Bodhisattva thought, ‘The deer can neither ford nor leap across the river, so they will not be able to escape. I will plant my feet in the middle of the river, then, and stay there.’ He called out to the deer, ‘Clamber over me, all of you! Use my back to support your legs and cross to the other side of the river.’ The Bodhisattva planted his feet in the middle of the river and stood still.

“Now bodhisattvas are strong and powerful, so the current did not move him, and as he stood there the deer all leapt onto his back, steadied their feet, and crossed to the other side of the river.

“Their hooves cut up the Bodhisattva’s back, and when the last deer saw this he became apprehensive and thought ‘I’m certain I won’t make it across.’ Noting his apprehension, the Bodhisattva reassured him, ‘Don’t be scared, friend. You needn’t be worried you will die,’ and he saw the deer safely across. Once the deer had arrived on the other side, the Bodhisattva passed away.

“O monks, what do you think? I am the one who led the herd of deer then, and lived the life of a bodhisattva. Those who were the five hundred deer then are none other than the five hundred athletes of Kuśinagarī. The one who was the last deer to cross is none other than Subhadra. At that time, amid the pain of dying, I delivered him from danger and set him down in safety. And now as well, stricken with illness and near to death, I have delivered Subhadra and the five hundred athletes from all the dangers of saṃsāra and established them in the unsurpassed, supreme welfare of nirvāṇa.” [F.294.a]

Then the Blessed One asked Venerable Ānanda, “Ānanda, did you see something?”

“Yes, Lord, I did.”

“What did you see?” the Blessed One asked.

“Lord, I saw that the Blessed One left an emanation here, then departed for the purpose of taming someone,” he replied.

“O Ānanda, so it is,” the Blessed One replied. “It is just as you say, Ānanda. Only two persons remained for the Tathāgata to tame. Those were gandharva king Supriya and the mendicant Subhadra. Regarding them I thought, ‘I can easily tame the mendicant Subhadra, but the gandharva king Supriya is arrogant and aloof. So I will leave an emanation here and travel to the Heaven of the Thirty-Three, where I will establish the gandharva king Supriya in the truths before coming back.’ ”

“Lord,” the monks asked the Blessed One, “what action did Supriya commit and accumulate that ripened into his birth among the gods as a gandharva king, and that he pleased the Blessed One, and did not displease him?”

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

“Lord, where did he make these prayers?”

“Monks,” the Blessed One recounted, “in times past, in this fortunate eon, when people lived as long as twenty thousand years, and the totally and completely awakened buddha endowed with perfect knowledge and perfect conduct, the blessed one, 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, an extraordinary teacher of music had come from the south to Vārāṇasī. Since he was a great teacher, King Kṛkī received him and awarded him a large salary, and since worldly people wish for wealth, he expanded the number of servants in his house. [F.294.b]

“At that time in Vārāṇasī there also lived a certain lay vow holder who was a poor man. As he watched these wonderful things happen to the musician, a great desire for them arose in him. ‘It’s by the power of his previous deeds that such things happen to him,’ he thought. ‘Such deeds are good indeed!’ Having thought this, he went for refuge and maintained the fundamental precepts all his life, and at the time of his death, he prayed, ‘By this root of virtue, wherever I am born, may it be into a family of great means, prosperity, and wealth, and may I become a king among musicians. 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.’

“O monks, what do you think? The one who was that lay vow holder then is none other than the gandharva king Supriya. The act of going for refuge, maintaining the fundamental precepts all his life, and saying that prayer at the time of his death ripened such that wherever he was born, it was into a family of great means, prosperity, and wealth.

“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 he has pleased me, not displeased me, gone forth in my very doctrine, cast away all afflictive emotions, and manifested arhatship.”

The monks requested the Blessed One, “Lord, tell us why, even amid the pain of dying, you took on such difficulties for the sake of taming someone.”

“Not only now,” the Blessed One explained, “but in times past as well, and in the same way, amid the pain of dying I took on great difficulties for the sake of taming someone. Listen well!

“Monks, in times gone by, King Jaya (Victorious) reigned in the city of Undefeated Victory. One day the queen conceived, and after nine or ten months had passed [F.295.a] she gave birth to a child who was well proportioned, pleasing to the eye, and beautiful. At the elaborate feast celebrating his birth they asked, ‘What name should we give this child?’ And they named him, saying, ‘Since this is the child of Jaya, his name will be Vijaya.’

“Then they reared young Vijaya on milk, yogurt, butter, ghee, and milk solids, and as the young man grew up, they made him study letters, and trained him in all the different fields of craft and skill in which duly consecrated rulers of the royal caste train, such as how to ride an elephant, how to ride horseback, how to wield a weapon, and how to shoot an arrow, advance, retreat, wage war, grasp with an iron hook, wield a lasso, shoot a spear, throw a single-pointed vajra, throw other single-pointed weapons, and throw a disk; how to cut, cleave, grapple and hold, employ footwork, guard one’s head, strike from a distance, and strike at the noise of an unseen enemy; and how to target the vital points, take infallible aim, and maximize damage. By the time he had been educated in all of these, he was learned in the five fields of knowledge.

“One day his father told him, ‘Son, your father’s country is wealthy and flourishing. Go now and see the whole of the land.’

“ ‘As you wish, father,’ he replied, and with those words the son traveled through the land with scores of attendants. After he had gone, King Jaya passed away, and his ministers sent a messenger to the prince that said, ‘Your father has passed away, so please return and safeguard your father’s kingdom.’

“The prince was of a loving nature and quite compassionate, with a love for beings, so he immediately dispatched a messenger to the ministers that said, ‘There is only one way this is possible. If you set all of the beings in my father’s kingdom on the path of the ten virtuous actions, then I shall safeguard my father’s [F.295.b] country.’

“The ministers dispatched a messenger with a reply that said, ‘As you wish, master.’

“They invited him and he assumed the mantle of the king, gave gifts, and made merit. To those who wished for food he gave food. To those who wished for something to drink he gave something to drink. To those who wished for clothes he gave clothes. To those who wished for adornments he gave adornments. To those who wished for mounts he gave mounts. To those who wished for other goods he gave other goods, and for the sick and for homes for the sick he provided everything that they needed, appointing healers and attendants.

“He served the orphaned. He prepared a great deal of food and drink and made gifts of it to the creatures that flew through the sky, dwelt in the water, or made their homes in the fields. He set the worldly on the path of the ten virtuous actions, and thereafter, their embrace of the path of the ten virtuous actions was cause for the greater part of those beings to take birth among the gods, until they began to fill all the gods’ residences.

“Then Śakra, king of the gods, thought, ‘There are only two reasons for all the gods’ residences to fill up‍—the appearance of the Tathāgata, or the appearance of a universal monarch. Has the Tathāgata appeared in the world, or has a universal monarch appeared in the world?’ But when he looked, he saw that neither had the Tathāgata appeared in the world, nor had a universal monarch appeared. ‘Well then, because of whom have the gods’ residences become full?’ he wondered.

“Śakra, King of the Gods, looked, and saw that it was because of King Vijaya. He thought, ‘What is he trying to do there?’ and when he looked again he saw that he was practicing to attain unexcelled, total, and complete enlightenment. Then Śakra, King of the Gods, thought, ‘I will go for a time [F.296.a] and see for myself whether he is of firm resolve. If this being’s resolve is firm, I shall worship him. If this being’s resolve is not firm, I shall steady him.’ With this in mind, Śakra, King of the Gods, emanated himself in the region as a variety of beings, and the emanations said to the ministers, ‘If the king satisfies us with food and drink, afterward we too will adopt the path of the ten virtuous actions and abide by it.’

“The ministers made the request of King Vijaya, and King Vijaya summoned the emanations and told them, ‘I shall satisfy you with food and drink.’ The emanations replied, ‘Deva, you will not be able to satisfy us with food and drink, for we eat the flesh of humans freshly killed, and drink their blood.’

“The king thought, ‘These are nonhuman spirits! Flesh and blood like that can’t be had without killing someone. Well then, if they are going to adopt the path of the ten virtuous actions and abide by it, I will satisfy them with my own flesh and blood.’

“The Bodhisattva said to the emanations, ‘If you completely adopt the path of the ten virtuous actions and abide by it, I shall satisfy you with my own flesh and blood.’

“ ‘As you wish,’ replied the emanations.

“The Bodhisattva immediately began carving the flesh out from all over his body and handing it to them, all the while praying for unexcelled, total, and complete enlightenment, saying, ‘By this root of virtue, may I become a protector for the world’s blind who are without a guide, without any guide at all, without anyone to show them the way‍—an arhat, a totally and completely awakened buddha endowed with perfect knowledge and perfect conduct, a sugata, [F.296.b] a knower of the world, a tamer of persons, a charioteer, an unsurpassed one, a teacher of humans and gods‍—a Blessed Buddha.’

“After praying for unexcelled, total, and complete enlightenment, he set the emanations on the path of the ten virtuous actions. Śakra, King of the Gods, thought, ‘Though this bodhisattva has performed an extraordinary austerity, I cannot restore his body. Still, I must spur him on.’ With this thought, he said to the Bodhisattva, ‘My friend, are you not even a little unhappy to cut away your flesh and sever your sinews and veins?’

“The Bodhisattva replied, ‘Oh, I’m not the least bit unhappy to cut away my flesh or to sever my sinews and veins. As I witness my own distress, I feel especially strong compassion for beings born as hell beings, animals, or anguished spirits.’

“ ‘How could I possibly believe you, my friend?’ asked Śakra.

“ ‘You will rejoice at my invocation of the truth,’ the Bodhisattva said. With that the Bodhisattva began to invoke the truth, saying, ‘If it is true that I’m not the least bit unhappy to cut away my flesh and to sever my sinews and veins, then by these words of truth may my body be restored.’ No sooner had the Bodhisattva said this than his body was restored.

“Śakra, King of the Gods, assumed his natural form, bowed down at the feet of the Bodhisattva, and asked his forgiveness. ‘My friend,’ he said, ‘forgive me for harming you with such ill intent, for though I had intended this to spur you on, in the end I only hurt you.’ With that, Śakra, King of the Gods, [F.297.a] disappeared on the spot.

“O monks, what do you think? I was the one who was that bodhisattva then, and lived the life of a bodhisattva. There as well, amid the pain of dying I took on great difficulties for the sake of taming someone.”

When the Blessed One was in Śrāvastī there lived a certain householder. When the time came for him to marry, he took a wife and they enjoyed themselves and coupled. In time he found faith in the Buddha, faith in the Dharma, and faith in the Saṅgha, went for refuge, took the fundamental precepts, and began to give gifts and make merit. The householder became like an open well, and the monks who were assigned to his house on behalf of the saṅgha took their food there every day.

One day the householder extended an invitation to the Buddha and the rest of the saṅgha of monks and contented them with many good, wholesome foods, proffering all that they wished. Once he knew that the Blessed One had finished eating and that his bowl had been taken away and his hands washed, the householder brought in a very low seat and sat before the Blessed One to listen to the Dharma.

The Blessed One directly apprehended his thoughts, habitual tendencies, temperament, capacity, and nature, and taught him the Dharma accordingly. When he heard it, the householder 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 he sat. After the Blessed One had instructed, encouraged, inspired, and delighted him with a discourse on the Dharma he rose from his seat [F.297.b] and departed.

One day it was the turn of a monk who had newly become an arhat to take his meal there on behalf of the assembly. He came accompanied by a non-returner affiliated with the monastery.

After the householder had provided food for both of them, Venerable Śāriputra thought, “That monk doesn’t know how to recite the Worthy of Offerings litany172 for the householder.” So Venerable Śāriputra went to the house himself and sat down upon the seat that had been prepared. The monks said to him, “Elder brother, we request that you please chant the Worthy of Offerings litany.”

Venerable Śāriputra observed that the assembly was indeed worthy of offerings, so he recited the Worthy of Offerings litany accordingly and said, “I myself cannot tell you the karmic ripening of the fruits of each portion given. The Blessed One is omniscient. He understands an action’s ripening and result.”

After he recited the Worthy of Offerings litany, he also taught the householder and his wife the Dharma particularly suited to them, such that the householder and his wife manifested the resultant state of non-return. After Venerable Śāriputra had instructed, encouraged, inspired, and delighted them with a discourse on the Dharma, he rose from his seat and departed.

One day the householder thought, “I have had enough of living at home. I will go forth in the doctrine of the Blessed One.” Both spouses gave gifts and made merit, and went forth in the doctrine of the Blessed One. Once gone forth, they cast away all afflictive emotions and manifested arhatship. As arhats, free from the attachments of the three realms, their minds regarded gold no differently than filth, and the palms of their hands as like space itself. They became cool like wet sandalwood. Their insight crushed ignorance like an eggshell. They achieved the insights, [F.298.a] superknowledges, and discriminations. They had no regard for worldly profit, passion, or acclaim. They became objects of offering, veneration, and respectful address by Indra, Upendra, and the other gods.

“Lord,” the monks asked the Blessed Buddha, “what action did this married couple take that ripened into their births into families of great means, prosperity, and wealth; that they pleased the Blessed One, and did not displease him; that they went forth in the doctrine of the Blessed One, cast away all afflictive emotions, and manifested arhatship?”

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

“Lord, where did they make these prayers?”

“Monks,” the Blessed One recounted, “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, they went forth in his teaching.

“They gave gifts, made merit, and practiced pure conduct all their lives. Then at the time of their deaths they prayed, ‘By this root of virtue, wherever we are born, may it be into families of great means, prosperity, and wealth. May we please and not displease Uttara, the young brahmin prophesied by the totally and completely awakened Buddha Kāśyapa to be the next blessed buddha. May we go forth in his doctrine, cast away all afflictive emotions, and manifest arhatship.’ [F.298.b]

“O monks, what do you think? Those who were the two married persons then and went forth in the teaching of Buddha Kāśyapa are none other than these two married persons who have gone forth now. The acts of going forth, giving gifts and making merit, practicing pure conduct all their lives, and saying that prayer at the time of their deaths ripened such that wherever they were born, it was into families of great means, prosperity, and wealth, and that they pleased me and did not displease me, cast away all afflictive emotions, and manifested arhatship.” [B26]