Part Three

The Story of Kacaṅkalā

3.2When the Blessed One was staying in Otalā Forest in Otalā, one morning he donned his lower garment and Dharma robes, and, carrying his alms bowl, went for alms in the villages of Otalā. At that time there was a certain woman who had taken a pot and gone out for water. From a distance, she saw that the Blessed One was beautiful, pleasing, his senses were at peace, his heart at peace, and his mind absolutely serene. He was as shining and radiant as a golden pillar.

3.3What is more, she perceived the Blessed One to be her own son. Laying her pot aside, she spread out her hands and approached the Blessed One, saying, “My son! My son!” But as she went to take the Blessed One in her arms, the monks hindered her from doing so. The Blessed One corrected the monks, saying, “Monks, do not hinder this woman. [F.120.a] Monks, if you don’t let this woman take the Tathāgata in her arms, she will spew warm blood from her mouth and die.” The monks did not hinder her any further, and, after holding the Blessed One in her arms, she sat before him to listen to the Dharma.

3.4The Blessed One directly apprehended her thoughts, habitual tendencies, temperament, and nature, and taught her the Dharma accordingly. Hearing it, the woman 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 she sat.

3.5Having seen the truths, she rose from her seat, drew down the right shoulder of her upper garment, bowed toward the Blessed One with palms together, and implored him, “Blessed One, 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.”

3.6The Blessed One presented her to Mahā­prajāpatī Gautamī, who led her to go forth as a novice, conferred on her full ordination, and instructed her. Casting away all afflictive emotions through diligence, practice, and effort, she manifested arhatship. As an arhat, free from the attachments of the three realms, her mind regarded gold no differently than filth, and the palms of her hands as like space itself. She became cool like wet sandalwood. Her insight crushed ignorance like an eggshell. She achieved the insights, superknowledges, and discriminations. She had no regard for worldly profit, passion, or acclaim. She became an object of offering, veneration, and respectful address by Indra, Upendra, and the other gods. [F.120.b]

3.7Then the Blessed One spoke of her greatness, saying, “Monks, this is the nun Kacaṅkalā‍—among my listener nuns, she is foremost of those who interpret the sūtras.”

The monks requested the Blessed One, “Lord, tell us why thousands of women have seen the Blessed One, but never has anyone run to him from a distance like that.”

“Monks,” explained the Blessed One, “Kacaṅkalā was my mother for five hundred lifetimes. She saw me and ran to me because of these habitual tendencies.”

3.8“Lord, if she was the Blessed One’s mother for five hundred lifetimes, why is she not your mother now?”

“Monks, there are two causes and two conditions for her not being my mother now,” the Blessed One replied. “First, Mahā­māyādevī prayed, ‘Oh, but let me become the mother of the Buddha!’ And I myself, in distress, also prayed, ‘May she who is my mother, in the future not be my mother.’ ”

3.9“What distress did she cause the Blessed One?” they asked.

“Monks,” the Blessed One replied, “bodhisattvas delight in renunciation and love to give, and she continually created obstacles to my renunciation and charity. This is why she caused me distress.”

3.10The monks asked the Blessed One, “Lord, what action did the nun Kacaṅkalā take that ripened into her first being poor and then going forth only in her old age?”

“Bodhisattvas delight in renunciation [F.121.a] and love to give,” the Blessed One explained, “and for a certain number of my lives she obstructed my renunciation and charity. That act ripened into her now being poor, and going forth only in her old age.”

3.11“Lord, what action did the nun Kacaṅkalā take that ripened into the Blessed One declaring her the foremost among those who interpret the sūtras, and that she pleased and did not displease the Blessed One, went forth in the doctrine of the Blessed One, cast away all afflictive emotions, and manifested arhatship?”

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

3.12“Lord, where did she 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 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 Kāśyapa was in the world, she went forth in his teaching, and the totally and completely awakened Buddha Kāśyapa commended her preceptor as foremost among those who interpret the sūtras.

3.13“She practiced pure conduct all her life, and at the time of her death she prayed, ‘While I may not have attained any great virtues, still I have gone forth in the teaching of the totally and completely awakened Buddha Kāśyapa and practiced pure conduct all my life. 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. Going forth in his doctrine alone may I cast away all afflictive emotions, and manifest arhatship. [F.121.b] Just as he commended my preceptor as foremost among those who interpret the sūtras, may the peerless Śākyamuni, King of the Śākyas, likewise commend me as foremost among those who interpret the sūtras.’

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

3.15“So it is, monks, now that I myself have become the very equal of the totally and completely awakened Buddha Kāśyapa‍—equal in strength, equal in deeds, and equal in skillful means‍—that she has pleased me, not displeased me, gone forth in my very doctrine, cast away all afflictive emotions, and manifested arhatship, and that I commended her as foremost among those who interpret the sūtras.”

The Story of Kaineya

3.16When the Blessed One was staying at the Domicile of Ghosts in the Adumā region, one morning he donned his lower garment and Dharma robes, and, carrying his alms bowl, went for alms in Adumā village. After receiving his alms in Adumā village, he ate his meal, [F.122.a] and since he no longer took food in the later part of the day, he washed his feet outside the Domicile of Ghosts, and entered the grounds to meditate. In the meantime there was a thunderstorm, and lightning struck in Adumā. The people there were chattering anxiously about how it killed four bulls and two brothers: one a householder, the other a peasant farmer.

3.17As evening fell, the Blessed One rose from his meditation and emerged from the Domicile of Ghosts and lingered there, walking among the shadows on the grounds of the Domicile of Ghosts. Thereupon one of the great many people there got up and walked toward the Blessed One. After approaching him, he touched his head to the Blessed One’s feet and fell in behind him, that he might also walk where the Blessed One had walked.

3.18The Blessed One asked the man, “My friend! What are the people of Adumā village chattering about so anxiously?”

“Lord,” said the man, “there was a thunderstorm, and lightning struck in Adumā. Everyone is chattering anxiously about how it killed four bulls and two brothers: one a householder, the other a peasant farmer. Did the Blessed One not hear the thunder roar and the lightning strike?”

3.19“No, I didn’t hear it,” the Blessed One replied.

“How is that?” the man asked. “Was the Blessed One sleeping?”

The Blessed One said, “No, I was not asleep at all.”

3.20“If the Blessed One has faculties of perception and wasn’t asleep,” he said, “then how did he not hear the thunder roar and the lightning strike?”

“I have faculties of perception, and I was not sleeping,” the Blessed One replied, “but I did not hear the thunder roar nor the lightning strike.”

3.21Now the man had to think this over. “Hmm,” he thought, “although he has faculties of perception and was not sleeping, still he did not hear the thunder roar nor the lightning strike. How wonderful that the Blessed One can abide so peacefully in meditation.” [F.122.b] This made the man very happy, and in his happiness he made offerings to the Blessed One.

3.22At that time in the forests of the Adumā region there lived a certain sage named Kaineya who was clairvoyant and had a retinue of five hundred. Not far away in another forest lived his sister’s son, a sage by the name of Śaila, who also had a retinue of five hundred. Both sages also spent time on the banks of Lake Mandākinī, traveling there now and again to spend the day.

3.23The blessed buddhas, teachers of the one path to be traversed, with mastery over wisdom and the two types of knowable objects, in command of the three kinds of sterling equanimity, fearless by means of the fourfold fearlessness, freed from migration through the five destinies, keen in the six sense bases, practiced in the seven limbs of enlightenment, focused on the eight liberations, absorbed in the nine successive meditative absorptions, possessing all ten of the ten powers, whose proclamations are the great roaring of a perfect lion, by nature regard the world with their buddha eyes six times throughout the day and night‍—three times by day and three times by night.

3.24These are their thoughts as they look out in wisdom: “Who is in decline? Who will flourish? Who is destitute? Who is in a dreadful state? Who is being harmed? Who is destitute, in a dreadful state, and being harmed? Who is veering toward the lower realms? Who is descending through the lower realms? Who has descended to the lower realms? Whom shall I pull up from the lower realms, and establish in the resultant state of heaven and liberation? Whom, mired in misdeeds, shall I lift up by the hand? Whom, lacking the seven jewels of the noble ones, shall I lead to command of the seven jewels of the noble ones? Whom, not having produced roots of virtue, shall I lead to produce them? Whom, having already produced roots of virtue, shall I lead to ripen their roots of virtue? Whom, having already ripened their roots of virtue, [F.123.a] shall I slice open with the blade of wisdom? For whom shall I cause this world, adorned with a buddha’s presence, to be fruitful?”

3.26The Blessed One thought, “If I give a Dharma teaching to the four great kings there, I will tame the sages Kaineya and Śaila, so I will give a Dharma teaching to the four great kings there on the banks of Lake Mandākinī and tame the sages Kaineya and Śaila with little difficulty.” The Blessed One then had a thought about the world: “The four great kings can understand my intention, and when they understand it and think, ‘The Blessed One intends to give a Dharma teaching to us on the banks of Lake Mandākinī,’ they will agree to attend.”

3.27And indeed, the four great kings directly apprehended the Blessed One’s intention and dispatched their servants, instructing them, “Go now and prepare a seat on the banks of Lake Mandākinī. Scatter different kinds of flowers on the ground, and sprinkle it with fragrant water. Look after the sages Kaineya and Śaila, for it would not be right if harm came to them at the hands of humans, nonhuman spirits, or rākṣasas.”

3.28“As you wish,” the servants of the four great kings replied, and they traveled to Lake Mandākinī, where they prepared a seat, scattered different kinds of flowers on the ground, and sprinkled it with fragrant water.

3.29Kaineya, seeing that the servants of the four great kings had prepared a seat on the banks of Lake Mandākinī, scattered different kinds of flowers on the ground, and sprinkled it with fragrant water, asked them, “Why are you here making all these preparations?” [F.123.b]

3.30“We are preparing a seat for the Blessed One, for he wishes to teach the Dharma to the four great kings,” they replied.

“What! Can’t I teach them Dharma?” Kaineya asked, to which the servants of the four great kings replied, “The ascetic Gautama will teach them the Dharma, not you.”

3.31“Then why are you following me all about?” he asked.

“A large number of servants and attendants are going to accompany them, so we are looking after you for fear you might be harmed.”

“What? Is it me alone you look after?” Kaineya demanded. “Or do you look after the ascetic Gautama as well?”

3.32The servants of the four great kings replied, “We do not look after the ascetic Gautama. He himself protects the world, including the gods.”

Kaineya thought, “The ascetic Gautama must be a person of great miracles and great power, if even the gods strive to worship him in such a way.”

The Blessed One disappeared from the Adumā region and traveled to the banks of Lake Mandākinī, where he took his place on the seat prepared for him.

3.33The great king Dhṛtarāṣṭra and the thousands upon thousands of gandharvas who serve him then filled the fronts of their long shirts with divine lotus, blue lotus, white water lily, and white lotus flowers and went to see the Blessed One. When they arrived, they touched their heads to the Blessed One’s feet, scattered the divine lotus, blue lotus, white water lily, and white lotus flowers over him, and circumambulated the Blessed One seven times before taking their seats in the east, facing the Blessed One to the west.

3.34Then the great king Virūḍhaka and the thousands upon thousands of kumbhāṇḍas who serve him all filled the fronts of their long shirts with jewels and went to see the Blessed One. When they arrived, they scattered jewels over the Blessed One, [F.124.a] touched their heads to his feet, and took their seats in the south, facing the Blessed One to the north.

3.35Then the great king Virūpākṣa and the thousands upon thousands of nāgas who serve him all filled the fronts of their long shirts with pearls and went to see the Blessed One. When they arrived they scattered pearls over the Blessed One, touched their heads to his feet, and took their seats in the west, facing the Blessed One to the east.

3.36Then the great king Vaiśravaṇa and the thousands upon thousands of yakṣas who serve him all filled the fronts of their long shirts with gold and silver, and went to see the Blessed One. Upon their arrival, they scattered gold and silver over the Blessed One, touched their heads to his feet, and took their seats in the north, facing the Blessed One to the south.

3.37Now since two of the great kings were from barbaric outlying regions, and two were from central lands, the Blessed One thought, “If I give a Dharma teaching in the language of the central lands, two of them will understand what I am saying, and two of them will not, but if I give a Dharma teaching in the language of the barbaric outlying regions, still only two of them will understand what I am saying, and two of them will not. So, I will teach it to each of them individually.”

3.38With this thought he said to the great king Dhṛtarāṣṭra, “Great King, the separation from the body, the abating of sensations, the cessation of perceptions, the allaying of formations, and the disappearance of consciousness is itself the end of suffering.” When he gave this Dharma teaching, the great king Dhṛtarāṣṭra and the many thousands of gods who belong to the same class as him achieved the Dharma vision that is free from dust and stainless with regard to phenomena. [F.124.b]

3.39After that the Blessed One said to the great king Virūḍhaka, “Great King, when you see, you should have the wisdom to merely see. When you listen, you should have the wisdom to merely hear. When your intelligence begins to differentiate, you should have the wisdom to merely differentiate. And regarding consciousness, you should have the wisdom of mere consciousness. This itself is the end of suffering.” When he gave this Dharma teaching, the great king Virūḍhaka and the many thousands of gods who belong to the same class as him achieved the Dharma vision that is free from dust and stainless with regard to phenomena.

3.40Then the Blessed One said to the great king Virūpākṣa, “E ne me ne dab phu da dab phu,” which means precisely, “This itself is the end of suffering.” When he gave this Dharma teaching, the great king Virūpākṣa and the many thousands of gods who belong to the same class as him achieved the Dharma vision that is free from dust and stainless with regard to phenomena.

3.41Then the Blessed One said to the great king Vaiśravaṇa, “Mā śā tu śā sang śāmā sarva datra viratrī,” which means precisely, “This itself is the end of suffering.” When he gave this Dharma teaching the great king Vaiśravaṇa and the many thousands of gods who belong to the same class as him achieved the Dharma vision that is free from dust and stainless with regard to phenomena.

3.42The four great kings perceived the truths, discovered the truths, realized the truths, and fathomed the truths to their very depths, overcoming whatever doubt or hesitation they had. Of their own accord, completely unprompted, and fearless on account of the truths their teacher had shown them, they rose from their seats, drew down the right shoulder of their upper garments, bowed toward the Blessed One with palms pressed together, and said, “Lord, we [F.125.a] have been inducted into the Dharma, we have been inducted into the Dharma indeed. We seek refuge in the Buddha, Dharma, and Saṅgha. We wish to take refuge and the fundamental precepts.”

3.43The Blessed One replied, “My friends, what you have said is very good.” At this the four great kings rejoiced, praised all that the Blessed One had said, touched their heads to his feet, and took leave of the Blessed One.

3.44After they had left the monks asked the Blessed Buddha, “Lord, what actions did these four great kings take that ripened into two of them being renowned as the lords of the central lands, and two of the barbaric outlying regions, and that they pleased the Blessed One, and did not displease him?”

3.45“Monks,” the Blessed One recounted, “in times past, in this fortunate eon, when people lived as long as twenty thousand years and 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 Kāśyapa was in the world, there were two nāga kings named Āśvāsa and Mahā­śvāsa who lived on the slopes of Mount Sumeru. Two bird kings lived there as well, the garuḍas Sound and Great Sound .

3.46“Afraid of the two garuḍas, the two nāgas fled, traveling down to the base of the universe, where they remained. The nāga kings Āśvāsa and Mahā­śvāsa liked the doctrine of the totally and completed awakened Buddha Kāśyapa, so both went for refuge and took the fundamental precepts. Having [F.125.b] taken refuge and the fundamental precepts, the nāga kings were no longer vulnerable to the garuḍas, so they emerged from the waters of the great ocean completely at ease.

3.47“The garuḍas Sound and Great Sound saw the two nāga kings emerge from the waters of the great ocean completely at ease. They were overwhelmed at the sight of them and were unable to harm them by force, for striking at them was like smacking into Mount Sumeru. ‘Before you were afraid of us and fled, down to the base of the universe‍—so how is it that you are now so completely at ease, and that we are unable to harm you?’ they asked them.

3.48“ ‘We’ve taken refuge and the fundamental precepts from the totally and completely awakened Buddha Kāśyapa,’ the two nāgas replied. ‘That’s why we are no longer vulnerable to you.’

3.49“ ‘Who is this one you call “Buddha”?’ the garuḍas asked. The nāgas described the Buddha to them in detail, and immediately after hearing about him they too were filled with the greatest admiration for the totally and completely awakened Buddha Kāśyapa. Joyful, they too went to see the totally and completely awakened Buddha Kāśyapa.

3.50“They took refuge and the fundamental precepts and acted in accord with the nāgas by being friends with them, coexisting with them, and going for refuge and maintaining the fundamental precepts together with them.

3.51“At the time of their deaths they prayed, ‘We have gone forth like this in the teaching of the totally and completely awakened Buddha Kāśyapa and practiced pure conduct all our lives. By this root of virtue, wherever we are born, may we be renowned as lords of those regions. May we please and not displease Uttara, the young brahmin prophesied by the totally and completely [F.126.a] awakened Buddha Kāśyapa to be the next blessed buddha. May we go forth in his doctrine, cast away all afflictive emotions, and manifest arhatship.’

3.52“O monks, what do you think? The ones who were the nāga kings Āśvāsa and Mahā­śvāsa then are none other than the great kings Dhṛtarāṣṭra and Virūḍhaka of the central lands. Those who were the garuḍa kings Sound and Great Sound then are none other than the great kings Virūpākṣa and Vaiśravaṇa of the barbaric outlying regions. At that time they went for refuge and maintained the fundamental precepts all their lives, and at the time of their deaths they prayed, ‘By this root of virtue, wherever we are born, may we be renowned as lords of those regions. 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.’ Those acts ripened into their current renown as lords among the gods of the Abodes of the Four Great Kings.

3.53“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.”

3.54Kaineya was standing nearby as the Blessed One taught the Dharma to the four great kings and told of their past actions, and he could hear every word. As soon he heard it all, he experienced a surge of joy toward the Blessed One, approached him, touched his head to the Blessed One’s feet, and sat before him to listen to the Dharma. The Blessed One [F.126.b] directly apprehended his thoughts, habitual tendencies, temperament, capacity, and nature, and taught him the Dharma accordingly.

3.55When he heard it, Kaineya 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 seeing the truths, he rose from his seat, drew down the right shoulder of his upper garment, bowed toward the Blessed One with palms pressed together, and implored him, “I would like to request that the Blessed One and the saṅgha of monks remain here in the region this morning. Please accept the beverages I shall prepare for you when it is no longer proper for you to eat.” The Blessed One assented by his silence.

3.56Understanding that by his silence the Blessed One had given his assent, Kaineya prepared eight different beverages‍—apple juice, banana juice, juniper juice, fig juice, udumbara juice, wild date palm berry juice, buckwheat juice, and grape juice‍—and went to present them to the Blessed One. When he arrived he implored the Blessed One, “Lord, the great sages of the past have sung the praises of these eight different beverages, extolling their virtues and speaking highly of them. I implore the Blessed One to please accept them out of compassion for us.” Out of compassion the Blessed One accepted the eight different beverages from Kaineya.

3.57The Blessed One then addressed the monks, saying, “Monks, I permit the monks, nuns, and female and male novices to drink all eight of these different beverages‍—be they filtered or unfiltered, clear or unclear, turbid or settled, of good color or not of good color‍— [F.127.a] at the proper times of day, but not at improper times. Of these eight different beverages, those filtered with cloth, clear, good in color, settled, and free of residue may be imbibed at improper times as well.”

3.58The sage Kaineya bowed to the Blessed One with his palms pressed together and beseeched him, “Lord, please allow me to request you and the saṅgha of monks to take your food at my house tomorrow,” and the Blessed One assented by his silence. Understanding that by his silence the Blessed One had given his assent, Kaineya then asked the Blessed One, “In that case, Lord, may I request that you all stay here in the forest tonight?”

3.59The Blessed One replied, “If it pleases you, Kaineya, we shall.” The Blessed One then disappeared from the banks of Lake Mandākinī and appeared seated in the forest with the saṅgha of monks, not far from where Kaineya lived.

3.60Early in the morning, before sunrise, Kaineya called to his young brahmins, “Noble ones, get up! Get up, gentle ones, get up! Attend to your reception room duties‍—split wood, make a fire, cook up the rice, prepare the vegetables, and make fried bread!” Kaineya was not the only one staying there that night. Śaila was there as well, and he heard Kaineya calling out to the young brahmins early in the morning before sunrise, “Noble ones, get up! Get up, gentle ones, get up! Attend to your reception room duties‍—split wood, make a fire, cook up the rice, prepare the vegetables, and make fried bread!” [F.127.b]

3.61When he heard this he thought, “What is this sage doing, sending off a bride to be married? Or is he about to receive a bride, perhaps? If not, he must be hosting foreign visitors, or craftsmen, or a group of men, or perhaps the king and his retinue.” Wondering about this, Śaila asked Kaineya, “What are you doing, sage, sending off a bride to be married? Or are you about to receive a bride, perhaps? If not, are you hosting foreign visitors, or craftsmen, or a group of men, or perhaps the king and his retinue?”

3.62“I am neither sending off a bride to be married, nor receiving a bride, nor hosting foreign visitors, craftsmen, or a group of men, nor hosting the king and his retinue,” replied Kaineya. “Rather, today I have invited the Buddha and the rest of the saṅgha of monks for a meal.”

3.63When Śaila heard the name Buddha, a sound unlike any he had heard before, it gave him goosebumps, and filled him with joy. Śaila asked Kaineya, “Sage, who is this one you call ‘Buddha’?”

3.64“Sage,” Kaineya replied, “near the Himalayas, on the banks of the Ganges, not far from the dwelling of the sage Kapila, a child was born to the Śākyas. The brahmin soothsayers and augurs made this prediction about him: ‘If he remains here at home, he will become a universal monarch, but if he shaves his head and face and dons the colorful robes of the holy, 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.’ He shaved his head and face and donned the colorful religious robes, and with nothing short of perfect faith went forth from home to live as a mendicant until he awakened unto unexcelled, total, and complete enlightenment. This, O sage, is the one we call Buddha.”

3.65“Sage, who are those you call ‘saṅgha’?”

“O sage, [F.128.a] among them are wise warriors, wise brahmins, wise householders, and wise mendicants as well. They are all those who have gone forth to follow the Tathāgata, the Arhat, the totally and completely awakened Buddha. These, sage, are the ones I call the saṅgha. Today I have invited the Buddha and the rest of the saṅgha of monks for a meal.”

3.66Śaila asked Kaineya, “Where is the Blessed One now, sage?”

“In the forests of the Adumā region, sage,” replied Kaineya. “If you wish to see him,

3.68Śaila heeded Kaineya’s advice and went to the forest to see the Blessed One. There he saw the Blessed One from a distance. His body, graced and resplendent with the thirty-two signs of a great person, looked like it was on fire, like tongues of fire 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.

3.69He saw the Blessed Buddha, and the sight of him filled him 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.

3.70After he saw the Blessed Buddha in this way, he approached him, touched his head to his feet, and sat before him to listen to the Dharma. The Blessed One directly apprehended his thoughts, habitual tendencies, temperament, capacity, and [F.128.b] nature, and taught him the Dharma accordingly. When he heard it, the sage Śaila 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 non-return right where he sat.

3.71After seeing the truths, he rose from his seat, drew down the right shoulder of his upper garment, bowed toward the Blessed One with palms pressed together, and made this request of the Blessed One: “Lord, 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.”

3.72“Sage, have you consulted your retinue?” asked the Blessed One.

“No, Lord,” replied Śaila, “I have not.”

The Blessed One replied, “In that case, sage, first consult your retinue. It is only fitting that a person like yourself, renowned by all and possessed of great merit, should do so.”

3.73So Śaila went to see his young brahmins, and when he arrived he informed them, “Young brahmins, I must let you know that I wish to practice the holy life in the presence of the Blessed One. What will you do now?”

“It is with your support, preceptor, that we have sought anything at all,” they replied. “Should the ascetic Gautama lead our preceptor to go forth, we will go forth as well.”

3.74“Young brahmins,” Śaila said, “if you are certain the time is right, then may it be so.”

Then Śaila went to see the Blessed One along with his five hundred devotees. When he arrived he touched his head to the Blessed One’s feet, and then petitioned the Blessed One: “Lord, I have consulted my devotees, [F.129.a] and if permitted, Lord, 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.”

3.75“Come, join me, monks!” the Blessed One replied. “Practice the holy life.”

As soon as the Blessed One had finished speaking there they 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,

3.77After preparing many good, wholesome foods that night, Kaineya rose in the 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.”

3.78That morning the Blessed One donned his lower garment and Dharma robes, and, carrying his alms bowl, set out surrounded and escorted by an assembly of monks, until they arrived at Kaineya’s reception room. There, the Blessed One took his place on the seat prepared for him and Kaineya by his own hand contented the Buddha and the rest of the saṅgha of monks with many good, wholesome foods, proffering all that they wished.

3.79Kaineya saw that Śaila and his five hundred devotees had gone forth, and thus were also seated there. Recognizing this, he asked Śaila, “Sage, have you gone forth?” [F.129.b]

“Yes, my friend, I have gone forth.”

“Good!” Sage Kaineya said, “Very good! I too shall go forth after the Blessed One and the rest of the saṅgha of monks have finished eating.”

3.80After contenting them by his own hand with many different kinds of good, wholesome food, proffering all that they wished, once he knew that the Blessed One had finished eating, his bowl had been taken away, and his hands washed, he drew down the right shoulder of his upper garment, bowed toward the Blessed One with palms pressed together, and requested, “Lord, 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.”

3.81“Sage, have you consulted your retinue?” asked the Blessed One.

“No, Lord,” replied Kaineya, “I have not.”

“In that case, sage, first consult your retinue. It is only fitting that a person like yourself, renowned by all and possessed of great merit, should do so.”

3.82So Kaineya went to see his young brahmins, and when he arrived he informed them, “Young brahmins, I must let you know that I wish to practice the holy life in the presence of the Blessed One. What will you do now?”

3.83“It is with your support, preceptor, that we have sought anything at all,” they replied. “Should the ascetic Gautama lead our preceptor to go forth, we will go forth as well.”

“Young brahmins,” Kaineya said, “if you are [F.130.a] certain the time is right, then may it be so.”

3.84So Kaineya went to see the Blessed One along with his five hundred devotees, and when he arrived he touched his head to the feet of the Blessed One, and told him, “Lord, I have consulted my devotees, and if permitted, Lord, 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.”

“Come, join me, monks!” replied the Blessed One. “Practice the holy life.”

3.85As soon as the Blessed One had finished speaking there they 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,

3.87The Blessed One taught Śaila and Kaineya, and they cast away all afflictive emotions through diligence, practice, and effort, and manifested arhatship. He entrusted five hundred of their monks to Venerable Brāhmaṇa Mahā­kapina, two hundred and fifty to Venerable Śāriputra, and two hundred and fifty to Venerable Maudgalyāyana, and told them, “Give them your spiritual advice, and then instruct them to keep it in mind.”

“Yes, Blessed One,” they agreed. “We will do just as you have instructed.”

3.88Venerable Śāriputra, Venerable Maudgalyāyana, and Venerable Brāhmaṇa Mahā­kapina brought the monks to the banks of the Hiraṇyavatī River, [F.130.b] where they pledged to stay in retreat during the rains. While observing their pledge to stay in retreat during the rains, they were given instructions to ponder. Venerable Brāhmaṇa Kapina established his five hundred monks in arhatship, Venerable Maudgalyāyana established his two hundred and fifty monks in the resultant state of non-return, and Venerable Śāriputra established his two hundred and fifty monks in the resultant state of stream entry.

3.89Now there are two times of year when it is customary for the disciples of the Blessed Buddha to convene‍—in the middle of the summer months when the time comes for the summer retreat, and on the full moon of the last month of autumn. When the time comes in the middle of the summer months for the monks to enter the rains retreat, the monks receive instructions to ponder, and then they pledge to remain for the duration of the summer in mountain ravines, in mountain caves, in caves of reeds, on the plains, in charnel grounds, or in the forests. Then, when the full moon of the last month of autumn arrives, they give an account of all that they have realized, and they put questions to their superiors regarding all that they still do not understand.

3.90The five hundred in each of Venerable Śāriputra and Venerable Maudgalyāyana’s two retinues and the five hundred of Venerable Brāhmaṇa Mahā­kapina’s retinue all entered summer retreat. When three months had passed and their summer retreat was finished, they donned their lower garments and Dharma robes, and, carrying their alms bowls, they went to see the Blessed One. Upon their arrival they touched their heads to the Blessed One’s feet, and took seats at one side. After they had taken their seats at one side, they gave the Blessed One an account of all that they had realized, and put questions to him regarding all that they still did not understand. The Blessed One gave them more advanced instructions to ponder, and they cast away all afflictive emotions with diligence, practice, and effort, and manifested arhatship.

3.91The monks asked the Blessed One, [F.131.a] “Lord, tell us why Venerable Brāhmaṇa Mahā­kapina, Venerable Maudgalyāyana, and Venerable Śāriputra established five hundred monks in arhatship, in the resultant state of non-return, and in the resultant state of stream entry.”

3.92“Not only now, monks” the Blessed One explained, “but in times past as well, and in the same way, Venerable Brāhmaṇa Mahā­kapina, Venerable Maudgalyāyana, and Venerable Śāriputra, respectively, established their five hundred monks in the four meditative states and five superknowledges, in the formless realm, and in the form realm. Listen well!

3.93“Monks, in times gone by, on a certain mountain there lived two sages, each with five hundred devotees. One sage lived on one side of the mountain with his five hundred devotees, and the other lived on the other side of the mountain with his five hundred devotees. One day, one of the sages passed away. After the young brahmins made offerings to his relics, they went to see the other sage, and the other sage brought them into his retinue. Then the thought occurred to the sage, ‘After I pass away, there will be no one to look after these young men. I must see to their needs while I’m still alive.’

3.94“Now, this sage had three outstanding students, so he entrusted five hundred young brahmins to one of them and entrusted two hundred and fifty to each of the other two. Then he told them, ‘Both while I am living and after my death, you must teach these disciples and see to it that they also ponder the instructions.’ One of the three established his five hundred young brahmins in the four meditative states and five superknowledges, one established his two hundred and fifty in the formless realm, [F.131.b] and one established his two hundred and fifty in the form realm.

3.95“O monks, what do you think? The one who placed those young brahmins in the four meditative states and five superknowledges then is none other than Brāhmaṇa Kapina. The one who placed them in the formless realm then is none other than Maudgalyāyana. And the one who placed them in the form realm then is none other than Śāriputra.

3.96“At that time, one of them placed them in the four meditative states and five superknowledges, one of them placed them in the formless realm, and one of them placed them in the form realm, and so too now one has placed them in arhatship, one has placed them in the resultant state of non-return, and one has placed them in the resultant state of stream entry.

3.97“Furthermore, monks, Brāhmaṇa Kapina’s students have keen intelligence, Maudgalyāyana’s students are of average intelligence, and Śāriputra’s students are less intelligent. Monks, if Śāriputra’s students could not so much as generate heat when handed to Brāhmaṇa Kapina, how then could they have realizations of a higher order?”

3.98The monks asked the Blessed Buddha, “Lord, what actions did the sages Kaineya and Śaila and their devotees take that ripened such that they pleased and did not displease the Blessed One, 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,” replied the Blessed One.

3.99“When did they make these prayers?”

“Monks,” the Blessed One explained, [F.132.a] “in times past, in this fortunate eon, when people lived as long as twenty thousand years and 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 Kāśyapa was in the world, there lived two householders in Vārāṇasī who were very close friends.

3.100“One day they found faith in the doctrine of the totally and completely awakened Buddha Kāśyapa, gave up household affairs, and went forth. After they went forth, they studied the Tripiṭaka and became proponents of the Dharma with all the eloquence of their wisdom and freedom. They acquired provisions of clothing, food, bedding, a seat, and medicines for the sick. Each of them gathered five hundred students and became a master teacher with his own retinue.

3.101“They both 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.’

3.102“Their students asked them, ‘What kind of prayers are you making?’ They both answered in detail, and then the devotees also prayed, ‘May we too, entrusting ourselves to the two of you, please and not displease the Blessed Buddha. May we go forth in his doctrine, cast away all afflictive emotions, and manifest arhatship.’ [F.132.b]

3.103“O monks, what do you think? Those who were the master teachers of their own retinues then are none other than the sages Kaineya and Śaila. Those who were their students then are none other than these one thousand monks. At that time 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.’

3.104“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.” [B11]

The Betrothal of the Bride: Two Stories

The First “Betrothal of the Bride” Story

3.105When the Blessed One was in Śrāvastī, there lived two householders who were very close friends. One day, one of them said to the other, “My friend, let’s make certain that come what may, the bond between us can never be broken.”

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

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

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

“No, I don’t,” said the first.

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

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

3.108Then one day the wife of the first conceived, and after nine or ten months had passed, she gave birth to a child who was well proportioned, pleasing to the eye, and beautiful. At the elaborate feast celebrating his birth they named him according to their clan, and they raised him on milk, yogurt, butter, ghee, and milk solids.

3.109Sometime after that, as the other and his wife enjoyed themselves and coupled, his wife conceived. After nine or ten months had passed, she gave birth to a child who was well proportioned, pleasing to the eye, and beautiful. At the elaborate feast celebrating her birth they named her according to their clan, and they raised her on milk, yogurt, butter, ghee, and milk solids. When she grew up she found faith in the doctrine of the Blessed One, went for refuge, and took the fundamental precepts.

3.110One day she asked for her parents’ permission, saying, “Mother, Father, I cannot engage in sexual relations. Therefore I am asking for your kind permission to go forth in the doctrine of the Blessed One.”

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

3.111The young woman persisted in asking over and over until her parents thought, “Alas, it may be that our daughter will disobey us and go forth. [F.133.b] We must warn our prospective in-laws.” So they said to the boy’s parents, “Our daughter wants to go forth, and it is possible she will do so in secret. Do not delay in making her a bride and bringing her into your home.”

3.112Now no sooner had they heard this than the householders dressed up their son and sent the young man‍—adorned with every type of adornment, laden with riches‍—to the home of his in-laws, and the householders handed their daughter to him to be married, as is the custom among householders.

3.113After he had accepted her as his bride, the young woman fled. She went to the nunnery, where her preceptor led her to go forth as a novice and then conferred on her full ordination and instructed her. Casting away all afflictive emotions through diligence, practice, and effort, she manifested arhatship, and even began to perform miracles. She became an object of offering, veneration, and respectful address by Indra, Upendra, and the other gods.

3.114When the young man heard that his wife had run away, he immediately set out to look for her, accompanied by many servants. Arriving at the nunnery, the young man found his wife, head shaved, garbed in the colorful religious robes, sitting cross-legged in meditation. As soon as he saw her he went to her and took her by the hand. Just then she rose up into the sky, making a miraculous display of fire and light, rain and lightning. At the sight of this the young man and the others gathered there experienced a surge of joy, and in their joy they bowed down at her feet, and said, “O great fortunate one, please, please come down! We’re mired in misdeeds! Please reach down and lift us up!”

3.115When she descended, the young man touched his head to her feet, asked for her forgiveness, provided for all her needs, and sat before her to listen to the Dharma. She realized the thoughts, [F.134.a] habitual tendencies, temperament, capacity, and nature of the young man and the others gathered there, and taught them the Dharma accordingly. When they heard it, they destroyed with the thunderbolt of wisdom the twenty high peaks of the mountain of views concerning the transitory collection, and manifested the resultant state of stream entry right where they sat.

3.116Having seen the truths, the young man thought, “Since even a woman who has gone forth in the Blessed One’s teaching can achieve such a collection of great qualities as these, I should also give up my life at home and go forth in the Blessed One’s teaching so that I can ford the floodwaters and completely escape my fetters through diligence, practice, and effort.”

3.117With this thought he asked for his parents’ permission and went forth in the doctrine of the Blessed One, cast away all afflictive emotions through diligence, practice, and effort, and manifested arhatship.

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

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

3.119“Lord, where did she make these prayers?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Second “Betrothal of the Bride” Story

3.126When the Blessed One was in Śrāvastī, King Prasenajit had two chief ministers there named Mṛgāra and Dinna. The two ministers were very close friends. When the time came for them to marry each minister took a wife and enjoyed himself with her and coupled.

3.127One day when the two saw each other again, Dinna said, “My friend, we should make it so that come what may, our friendship is not severed, nor even a little strained, for as long as we live.”

“How could we do that?” asked Mṛgāra.

“We have to become kin,” replied Dinna.

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

“No, I don’t,” said Dinna. [F.135.b]

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

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

3.130One day, Mṛgāra’s wife conceived. After nine or ten months had passed, she gave birth to a child, and they named him Viśākha.

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

3.131Then one day Dinna’s wife also conceived, and after nine or ten months had passed, she gave birth to a child who was well proportioned, pleasing to the eye, and beautiful. But it was the child’s nature to weep constantly, and though her parents made every effort, they could not make her stop.

3.132This went on until one day Mahā­prajāpatī Gautamī came to their house and taught the Dharma to the householders. When the child heard the Dharma, she quieted down. But when Mahā­prajāpatī Gautamī left, having completed her discourse on the Dharma, the child began to weep again. The householders realized that the child must have wanted to hear more Dharma. At the elaborate feast celebrating her birth they asked, “What name should we give this child?” And they named her, saying, “Since she is Dinna’s child and wishes for Dharma, her name will be Dharmadinnā.” They reared young Dharmadinnā on milk, yogurt, butter, ghee, and milk solids, [F.136.a] and when she grew up she found faith in the doctrine of the Blessed One.

3.133From time to time she asked for her parents’ permission to offer food to the monks and nuns and to sit in front of them to listen to the Dharma. After hearing the Dharma, she went for refuge and took the fundamental precepts, and while still living at home she manifested the resultant state of non-return and even began to perform miracles. Having seen the truths, she asked for her parents’ permission saying, “Mother, Father, I am asking for your kind permission to go forth in the doctrine of the Blessed One.”

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

3.134Their daughter said, “If I have no interest in objects of desire, what need do I have for a spouse?”

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

3.135The householder Dinna extended an invitation to the Buddha and the rest of the saṅgha of monks. He prepared many good, wholesome foods that night, and in the morning he rose, prepared seats, filled the water pots, and set them out. Then he sent a message to the Blessed One reminding him it was time for the midday meal: “Lord, the midday meal is upon us. Know that the time has come, Blessed One, and your presence is requested.”

3.136In the morning the Blessed One donned his lower garment and Dharma robes, and, carrying his alms bowl, he set out surrounded and escorted by an assembly of monks. He arrived at the householder Dinna’s reception room, where [F.136.b] he took his place on the seat prepared for him. Once the householder knew that the Buddha and the rest of the saṅgha of monks were comfortably seated, by his own hand he contented them with many good, wholesome foods, proffering all that they wished. After contenting them by his own hand with many different kinds of good, wholesome food, proffering all that they wished, once he knew that the Blessed One had finished eating and his bowl had been taken away and his hands washed, he sat before the Blessed One to listen to the Dharma.

3.137Since he was unable himself to prevent young Dharmadinnā from fulfilling her wish go forth, he sent word to the householder Mṛgāra, asking him to please come and prevent it. As soon as he heard this, Mṛgāra came with his servants and surrounded the home of the householder Dinna. After the Blessed One had instructed, encouraged, inspired, and delighted the householder Dinna and the people of his house with a Dharma teaching, he rose from his seat and departed. After the Buddha and the saṅgha of monks had departed, the saṅgha of the nuns also departed, and young Dharmadinnā went with them.

3.138When young Viśākha and Mṛgāra and his retinue spotted young Dharmadinnā leaving the house, they cried out, “Young Viśākha, grab the girl, Dharmadinnā!” At that moment she rose up into the sky and performed a miraculous display of fire and light, rain and lightning. As soon as young Viśākha saw this, he thought, “How could she possibly engage in sexual relations with me now that she has attained such great virtues?” Ordinary people are quickly brought to faith through miracles, so when Mṛgāra’s retinue saw all this, they threw themselves at Dharmadinnā’s feet, saying, “O great fortunate one, please, please come down! We’re mired in misdeeds! Please reach down and lift us up!”

3.139She [F.137.a] descended and young Viśākha touched his head to her feet and asked her forgiveness, saying, “Of course you have my consent to go forth. I shall provide for all your needs. Whatever your needs, I shall provide for them all.” With this he sat before her to listen to the Dharma. After Dharmadinnā had instructed, encouraged, inspired, and delighted them with a Dharma teaching, she departed.

3.140She proceeded to the nunnery, went forth, and the nuns conferred on her the precepts for female novices. Having been conferred vows for the precepts of the six factors, she practiced them for two years, at which time she wished to receive full ordination. The nuns thus conferred on her the vows of the holy life and prepared to lead her to the garden of Prince Jeta for full ordination.

3.141Dharmadinnā was well proportioned, pleasing to the eye, and beautiful, with an incomparably splendid complexion and an unmatched figure‍—the best in the land. As soon as she was born men had started asking for her hand, but since the householder Dinna had already promised her to someone, he would not give her to anyone else.

3.142When she had gone forth, those men thought, “While she was living at home we could not have her. But now that she has left, we can do as we please. They then began to consider how they might trap her and take her by force. Someone went and alerted the nuns, and they thought, “We can no longer bring her to the garden of Prince Jeta for full ordination, nor can we keep her at the nunnery.” So they brought her back to her parents’ house, and there she stayed.

3.143After that the nuns related her story in detail to the Blessed One, and asked, “Lord, how can we complete the nun [F.137.b] Dharmadinnā’s ordination?”

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

3.144As soon as the nuns heard this, they conferred full ordination on Dharmadinnā by message and had her recite in exactly the way given in the scriptures. Then the nuns who had sent the message came to see the nun Dharmadinnā and informed her, “Dharmadinnā, you have received full ordination. Be conscientious and diligent.”

3.145As soon as she heard this, Dharmadinnā cast away all afflictive emotions and manifested arhatship. As an arhat, free from the attachments of the three realms, her mind regarded gold no differently than filth, and the palms of her hands as like space itself. She became cool like wet sandalwood. Her insight crushed ignorance like an eggshell. She achieved the insights, superknowledges, and discriminations. She had no regard for worldly profit, passion, or acclaim. She became an object of offering, veneration, and respectful address by Indra, Upendra, and the other gods.

3.146The monks inquired of the Blessed Buddha, “What action did Dharmadinnā take that ripened into her birth into a family of great means, prosperity, and wealth; that she pleased and did not displease the Blessed One; that, going forth in the doctrine of the Blessed One, she cast away all afflictive emotions and manifested arhatship; and that she alone was instrumental in the Blessed One permitting the full ordination of nuns by message?”

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

3.147“Lord, where did she make these prayers?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

3.154The monks then requested the Blessed Buddha, [F.139.a] “Lord, tell us how the nun Dharmadinnā, admired by many men, maintained her pure conduct despite great adversity.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“ ‘As you wish,’ said the sex worker.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Cuts: Two Stories

The First “Cut” Story

3.187When the Blessed One was in Śrāvastī, it was Venerable Maudgalyāyana’s custom to wander from time to time among the hell beings, to wander among the anguished spirits, to wander among the animals, to wander among the humans, and to wander among the gods.

3.188When he returned, [F.142.b] he would relate to people how the hell beings suffer through being cut up, hacked apart, beaten, roasted, and so on. When he returned, he would also relate to people how the anguished spirits suffer through hunger, thirst, being burned, being incinerated, being cooked, and so on; how animals suffer as they eat one another; how human beings suffer through striving, anger, and exhaustion; and how the gods suffer through dying, falling, disintegrating, and decaying. Those who heard him were filled with sorrow, and from this sorrow they went on to achieve great things.

3.189One day Venerable Maudgalyāyana prepared himself to wander among the animals, disappeared from Śrāvastī, and stood on the seashore.

3.190Now the great ocean has three strata. The first stratum of water is 28,000 yojanas deep, and in that stratum dwell the sea creatures known as timi, whose bodies are 700 yojanas in length. Whenever they get hungry they rise from this first stratum of water, surfacing with mouths agape. Any smaller living beings present there spill with the water into their mouths. When they have filled their stomachs, they filter the water back out through their teeth and then eat the living beings that remain in their stomachs. The second stratum of water is 25,000 yojanas deep, and in that stratum dwell the sea creatures known as timiṅgila, whose bodies are 1,400 yojanas in length. Whenever they get hungry they rise up through the first and second strata of water to feed. The third stratum of water is 25,000 yojanas deep, and in that stratum dwell the sea creatures known as timiṅgilagila. Their bodies [F.143.a] are enormous, measuring 2,100 yojanas. Whenever they get hungry they rise up through the first, second, and third strata of water to feed.

3.191Now at that time in the great ocean a sea creature of the kind called timiṅgila was born, and the other sea creatures, great and small, gathered around him. Again and again they cut his body into pieces‍—some one league long, some two leagues, some three leagues, and some up to one hundred yojanas in length‍—and fed on him, causing him dreadful suffering and extreme, excruciating, unbearable agony.

3.192All this suffering exhausted him, so he emerged onto dry land hoping for some respite. But when he emerged onto dry land, due to his past actions, five hundred yakṣas appeared, and for five hundred days with five hundred axes they hacked off his ribs one by one. Once all his ribs had been cut away in this manner, unable to bear the pain, he let loose a great cry and rolled back into the great ocean. All of this bleeding and rolling about agitated the great ocean, roiling it up until it looked like an ocean of blood. And now that he had fallen back into it, the other creatures fed on him again. No matter whether he emerged onto dry land or stayed in the water, he suffered dreadfully.

3.193Venerable Mahā­maudgalyāyana thought, “What action did this being take that ripened into such suffering?” Though he went deep into equipoise and reached the far limits of concentration, he could not see an end to the lives in which this being had died from one animal rebirth and transmigrated, only to take birth as an animal again and meet with the very same suffering. He thought, “Who apart from the Blessed One could explain his deeds to me? For his [F.143.b] wisdom and vision are unimpeded, and his wisdom and vision are infinite.”

3.194He disappeared from the shore of the great ocean and traveled to Śrāvastī, where the Blessed One sat teaching the Dharma amid a company of hundreds. Then Venerable Maudgalyāyana thought, “It is time to put my question to the Blessed One, so that many might become disillusioned with saṃsāra.” He approached the Blessed One, touched his head to the Blessed One’s feet, and took a seat at one side.

3.195Once he had taken a seat at one side, Venerable Mahā­maudgalyāyana inquired of the Blessed One, “Lord, it is my custom to wander from time to time among the hell beings, to wander among the anguished spirits, to wander among the animals, to wander among the humans, and to wander among the gods.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

3.212As soon as they heard this, the people gathered there welled up with grief. The Blessed One directly apprehended their grief, taught them the Dharma accordingly, and among the assembled some generated heat right where they sat. Some generated the peak, or generated the patience in accord with the truths, or generated the highest worldly dharma, or generated the attainment of seeing. Some manifested the resultant state of stream entry. Some manifested the resultant state of once-return. Some manifested the resultant state of non-return. Some went forth and manifested arhatship. Some sowed the seeds to become universal monarchs, some to become great universal monarchs, some to become Indra, some to become Brahmā, some for the enlightenment of the listeners, some for the enlightenment of the solitary buddhas, and some for unexcelled, total, and complete enlightenment. Among the assembled, most found themselves drawn to the Buddha, intent on the Dharma, and favoring the Saṅgha.

The Second “Cut” Story

3.213When the Blessed One was in Śrāvastī, it was Venerable Maudgalyāyana’s custom to wander from time to time among the hell beings, to wander among the anguished [F.146.a] spirits, to wander among the animals, to wander among the humans, and to wander among the gods.

3.214When he returned, he would relate to people how the hell beings suffer through being cut up, hacked apart, beaten, roasted, and so on. When he returned, he would also relate to people how the anguished spirits suffer through hunger, thirst, being burned, being incinerated, being cooked, and so on; how animals suffer as they eat one another; how human beings suffer through striving, anger, and exhaustion; and how the gods suffer through dying, falling, disintegrating, and decaying. Those who heard him were filled with sorrow, and from this sorrow they went on to achieve great things.

3.215One day Venerable Mahā­maudgalyāyana prepared himself to wander among the anguished spirits, disappeared from Śrāvastī, and stood on the seashore, where there lay an anguished spirit with an enormous body. The lower half looked very ordinary, but from the waist up it was like two separate bodies. He was on fire, burning all over, covered in flames, and he lurched all about until, due to his past actions, lions, tigers, leopards, bears, and the like, all with fangs of iron, appeared and tore into his flesh over and over again and fed on him.

3.216Humans appeared there due to his past actions as well, and they took up sharp swords and hacked at his upper body. While they hacked away at one side of his upper body, the other side would regenerate, and when they hacked away at the other side, the first side would regenerate. This caused him dreadful suffering and extreme, excruciating, unbearable agony, and he let loose great cries. As he tried to flee, the humans who appeared due to his past actions pursued him.

3.217Seeing all this, Mahā­maudgalyāyana thought, “What action [F.146.b] did this being take that ripened into such suffering?” When he examined that being’s past lives, he saw that after going forth in the doctrine of the totally and completely awakened Buddha Kāśyapa, the spirit had acted as steward for the monks. But then he cut off the monks in rainy season retreat from all material support and clothing and offered it to the monks in winter retreat. Then he cut off the monks in winter retreat from all material support and clothing and offered it to the monks in rainy season retreat. Finally, he cut off both from all material support and clothing, used some of it for himself, and offered the rest to others.

3.218Venerable Mahā­maudgalyāyana thought, “Though indeed I can see his past actions clearly, still I shall ask the Blessed One about this so that many might become disillusioned with saṃsāra.”

3.219He disappeared from the shore of the great ocean and traveled to Śrāvastī, where the Blessed One sat teaching the Dharma amid a company of hundreds. Then Venerable Mahā­maudgalyāyana, seeing that the Blessed One was teaching the Dharma amid a company of hundreds, thought, “Now is the time to request the Blessed One to explain about that anguished spirit.” He approached the Blessed One, touched his head to the Blessed One’s feet, and took a seat at one side.

3.220Once he had taken a seat at one side, Venerable Mahā­maudgalyāyana inquired of the Blessed One, “Lord, it is my custom to wander from time to time among the hell beings, to wander among the anguished spirits, to wander among the animals, to wander among the humans, and to wander among the gods.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

3.228Then Venerable Mahā­maudgalyāyana inquired of the Blessed One, “Lord, when will this being be released from this suffering?”

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

3.229As soon as they heard this, the people gathered there welled up with grief. The Blessed One directly apprehended their grief, taught them the Dharma accordingly, and among the assembled some generated heat right where they sat. Some generated the peak, or generated the patience in accord with the truths, or generated the highest worldly dharma, or generated the attainment of seeing. Some manifested the resultant state of stream entry. Some manifested the resultant state of once-return. Some manifested the resultant state of non-return. Some went forth and manifested arhatship. Some sowed the seeds to become universal monarchs, some to become great universal monarchs, some to become Indra, some to become Brahmā, some for the enlightenment of the listeners, some for the enlightenment of the solitary buddhas, and some for unexcelled, total, and complete enlightenment. Among the assembled, most found themselves drawn to the Buddha, intent on the Dharma, and favoring the Saṅgha.

Being Devoured

3.230When the Blessed One was in Śrāvastī, it was Venerable Maudgalyāyana’s custom to wander from time to time among the hell beings, to wander among the anguished spirits, to wander among the animals, to wander among the humans, and to wander among the gods.

3.231When he returned, he would relate to people how the hell beings suffer through being cut up, hacked apart, beaten, roasted, and so on. When he returned, [F.148.b] he would also relate to people how the anguished spirits suffer through hunger, thirst, being burned, being incinerated, being cooked, and so on; how animals suffer as they eat one another; how human beings suffer through striving, anger, and exhaustion; and how the gods suffer through dying, falling, disintegrating, and decaying. Those who heard him were filled with sorrow, and from this sorrow they went on to achieve great things.

3.232One day Venerable Mahā­maudgalyāyana, prepared himself to wander among the anguished spirits, disappeared from Śrāvastī, and traveled to Vindhyācala, to a hollow in the forest where he saw an anguished spirit that was on fire, burning all over, and covered in flames‍—he was nothing but a single, searing flame. When he fled to the plains, due to his past actions lions, tigers, leopards, bears, and the like, all with fangs of iron, appeared and tore into his flesh over and over again and fed on him. This caused him extreme, excruciating, unbearable agony, and he ran all about.

3.233Seeing him, Venerable Mahā­maudgalyāyana thought, “What action did this being take that ripened into such suffering?”

When he examined that being’s past lives, he saw that after going forth in the doctrine of the totally and completely awakened Buddha Kāśyapa, the spirit had acted as steward for the monks, but then he used the donations for the saṅgha, the donations to the stūpa, their means of regular support, and the donations for the saṅgha of the four directions to indulge himself as he pleased and to make gifts of it to others.

3.234Thereupon Venerable Mahā­maudgalyāyana thought, “Though indeed I can see his past actions clearly, still I shall ask the Blessed One about this, so that many might become disillusioned with saṃsāra.” He disappeared from the hollow in the forest at Vindhyācala [F.149.a] and traveled to Śrāvastī, where the Blessed One sat teaching the Dharma amid a company of hundreds. Then Venerable Mahā­maudgalyāyana, seeing that the Blessed One was teaching the Dharma amid a company of hundreds, thought, “Now is the time to request the Blessed One to explain about that anguished spirit.” He approached the Blessed One, touched his head to the Blessed One’s feet, and took a seat at one side.

3.235Once he had taken a seat at one side, Venerable Mahā­maudgalyāyana inquired of the Blessed One, “Lord, it is my custom to wander from time to time among the hell beings, to wander among the anguished spirits, to wander among the animals, to wander among the humans, and to wander among the gods.

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

3.237“Lord, as I was wandering among the anguished spirits, I disappeared from Śrāvastī, and in Vindhyācala, in a hollow in the forest, Lord, I saw an anguished spirit with an enormous body that was on fire, burning all over, and covered in flames‍—he was nothing but a single, searing flame. When he fled to the plains, from his past actions lions, tigers, leopards, [F.149.b] bears, and the like, all with fangs of iron, appeared. When he submerged himself in the water, crocodiles with fangs of iron appeared. When he fled into the sky above, woodpeckers with beaks of iron appeared. All these creatures tore into his flesh over and over again and fed on him. This caused him extreme, excruciating, unbearable agony, and he ran all about.

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

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

3.239“Maudgalyāyana, in times past, in this fortunate eon, when people lived as long as twenty thousand years, and the totally and completely awakened buddha possessed of insight and perfect conduct, the sugata, the knower of the world, the tamer of persons, the charioteer, the unsurpassed one, the teacher of humans and gods, the blessed buddha known as Kāśyapa was in the world, that being went forth in his doctrine. After that, he acted as steward for the monks, calling upon many benefactors and patrons and accepting donations on behalf of the saṅgha and the stūpa. He took the donations for the saṅgha, the donations to the stūpa, their means of regular support, and the donations for the saṅgha of the four directions, and used it to indulge himself as he pleased and to make gifts of it to others. This act of cutting off the saṅgha from these donations, indulging himself as he pleased, and giving them to others ripened such that he took birth among the anguished spirits, and there was devoured by the creatures that lurk in the sky, in water, and on the plains.”

3.240As soon as they heard this, the people gathered there welled up with grief. The Blessed One directly apprehended their grief, [F.150.a] taught them the Dharma accordingly, and among the assembled some generated heat right where they sat. Some generated the peak, or generated the patience in accord with the truths, or generated the highest worldly dharma, or generated the attainment of seeing. Some manifested the resultant state of stream entry. Some manifested the resultant state of once-return. Some manifested the resultant state of non-return. Some went forth and manifested arhatship. Some sowed the seeds to become universal monarchs, some to become great universal monarchs, some to become Indra, some to become Brahmā, some for the enlightenment of the listeners, some for the enlightenment of the solitary buddhas, and some for unexcelled, total, and complete enlightenment. Among the assembled, most found themselves drawn to the Buddha, intent on the Dharma, and favoring the Saṅgha.

The Story of Nandaka

3.241When the Blessed One was in Śrāvastī, it was Venerable Nandaka’s custom to wander from time to time among the hell beings, to wander among the anguished spirits, to wander among the animals, to wander among the humans, and to wander among the gods.

3.242When he returned, he would relate to people how the hell beings suffer through being cut up, hacked apart, beaten, roasted, and so on. When he returned, he would also relate to people how the anguished spirits suffer through hunger, thirst, being burned, being incinerated, being cooked, and so on; how animals suffer as they eat one another; how human beings suffer through striving, anger, and exhaustion; and how the gods suffer through dying, falling, disintegrating, and decaying. [F.150.b] Those who heard him were filled with sorrow, and from this sorrow they went on to achieve great things.

3.243One day Venerable Nandaka prepared himself to wander among the anguished spirits, disappeared from Śrāvastī, and traveled to the seashore where he saw an anguished spirit that was completely naked and covered only by the hair of her head. She was covered in flames like a burning log, and completely blind. Worms poured forth from her nose and mouth, and she reeked with a stench that could be smelled for many yojanas. She ran all about, but mottled blue dogs bit her wherever she went. This caused her dreadful suffering and extreme, excruciating, unbearable agony, and she cried out loudly as she ran all about.

3.244Seeing her, Venerable Nandaka asked himself, “What action did this being take?” When he examined that being’s past lives, he saw that after going forth as a nun in the doctrine of the totally and completely awakened Buddha Kāśyapa, she was hot-tempered and quarrelsome, slandered many different nuns, and created obstacles to their material well-being.

3.245Venerable Nandaka thought, “Though indeed I can see her past actions clearly, still I shall ask the Blessed One about this, so that many might become disillusioned with saṃsāra.” He disappeared from the seashore and traveled to Śrāvastī, where the Blessed One sat teaching the Dharma amid a company of hundreds. Then Venerable Nandaka, seeing that the Blessed One was teaching the Dharma amid a company of hundreds, thought, “Now is the time to ask the Blessed One to explain about that anguished spirit.” He approached the Blessed One, touched his head to the Blessed One’s feet, and took a seat at one side.

3.246Once he had taken a seat at one side, [F.151.a] Venerable Nandaka inquired of the Blessed One, “Lord, it has always been my custom to wander from time to time among the hell beings, to wander among the anguished spirits, to wander among the animals, to wander among the humans, and to wander among the gods.

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

3.248“Lord, after preparing to wander among the anguished spirits, I disappeared from Śrāvastī and stood on the seashore. There, Lord, I saw an anguished spirit that was completely naked and covered only by the hair of her head. She was covered in flames like a burning log, and completely blind. Worms poured forth from her nose and mouth, and she reeked with a stench that could be smelled for many yojanas. She ran all about, but mottled blue dogs bit her wherever she went. This caused her dreadful suffering and extreme, excruciating, unbearable agony, and she cried out loudly as she ran all about.

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

“Nandaka,” the Blessed One explained, “that anguished spirit committed nonvirtuous actions over and over again. [F.151.b] She committed many nonvirtuous actions.

3.250“Nandaka, in times past, in this fortunate eon, when people lived as long as twenty thousand years, and the totally and completely awakened buddha possessed of insight and perfect conduct, the sugata, the knower of the world, the tamer of persons, the charioteer, the unsurpassed one, the teacher of humans and gods, the blessed buddha known as Kāśyapa was in the world, there lived in Vārāṇasī a certain householder, prosperous and wealthy, a person of vast and magnificent means, endowed with the wealth of Vaiśravaṇa‍—with wealth to rival Vaiśravaṇa’s.

3.251“When the time came for him to marry he took a wife. 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. At the elaborate feast celebrating her birth they named her according to their clan. They reared her on milk, yogurt, butter, ghee, and milk solids, and she flourished like a lotus in a lake.

3.252“When she grew up she found faith in the doctrine of the totally and completely awakened Buddha Kāśyapa, asked for her parents’ permission, and went forth. After going forth, she studied the Tripiṭaka and became a proponent of the Dharma with all the eloquence of her wisdom and freedom. Having acquired provisions of clothing, food, bedding, a seat, and medicines for the sick, she called upon all the benefactors and patrons to build a stūpa and a monastery associated with it that that was complete in every respect. She made offerings to the Buddha and the rest of the saṅgha of nuns.

3.253“As she went about providing for the needs of all the nuns, she became arrogant about her well-proportioned shape, youthfulness, and high caste, and was unable to maintain her moral discipline. Then she took all the donations for the saṅgha, the donations to the stūpa, their regular support, and the donations [F.152.a] for the saṅgha of the four directions, and indulged herself as she pleased. When the nuns heard of this, they banished her from the nunnery.

3.254“Consumed with fury and compelled by her anger, she assailed with harsh and hurtful language many nuns on the path of learning and the path of no more to learn. From house to house she slandered them by exclaiming, ‘These nuns violate moral discipline and are sinful!’ She thus created obstacles to their material well-being, disrespected them, and looked upon them with hate.

3.255“Nandaka, what do you think? The one who was that nun then is none other than this anguished spirit. The act of disrespecting and creating obstacles to the material well-being of those nuns on the paths of learning and no more to learn ripened into her birth as an anguished spirit. The act of assailing them with harsh and hurtful language ripened into worms pouring forth from her mouth and nose. The act of slandering them from house to house by exclaiming, ‘These nuns violate moral discipline and are sinful!’ ripened into her reeking with a stench that could be smelled for many yojanas. The act of looking upon the nuns with hate ripened into her becoming completely blind. The act of taking all the donations for the saṅgha, the donations to the stūpa, their regular support, and the donations for the saṅgha of the four directions and indulging herself as she pleased ripened into her being snapped at by mottled blue dogs. Such were the acts she committed.”

3.256As soon as they heard this, the people gathered there welled up with grief. The Blessed One directly apprehended their grief, taught them the Dharma accordingly, and among the assembled some generated heat. Some generated the peak, or generated the patience in accord with the truths, or generated the highest worldly dharma, or generated the attainment of seeing. Some manifested the resultant state of stream entry. Some [F.152.b] manifested the resultant state of once-return. Some manifested the resultant state of non-return. Some went forth and manifested arhatship. Some sowed the seeds to become universal monarchs, some to become great universal monarchs, some to become Indra, some to become Brahmā, some for the enlightenment of the listeners, some for the enlightenment of the solitary buddhas, and some for unexcelled, total, and complete enlightenment. Among the assembled, most found themselves drawn to the Buddha, intent on the Dharma, and favoring the Saṅgha. [B13]

Chunks of Meat

3.257When the Blessed One was in Śrāvastī, it was Venerable Maudgalyāyana’s custom to wander from time to time among the hell beings, to wander among the anguished spirits, to wander among the animals, to wander among the humans, and to wander among the gods.

3.258When he returned, he would relate to people how the hell beings suffer through being cut up, hacked apart, beaten, roasted, and so on. When he returned, he would also relate to people how the anguished spirits suffer through hunger, thirst, being burned, being incinerated, being cooked, and so on; how animals suffer as they eat one another; how human beings suffer through striving, anger, and exhaustion; and how the gods suffer through dying, falling, disintegrating, and decaying. Those who heard him were filled with sorrow, and from this sorrow they went on to achieve great things.

3.259One day Venerable Mahā­maudgalyāyana prepared himself to wander among the anguished spirits, disappeared from Śrāvastī, and traveled to the seashore. [F.153.a] There he saw one whose flesh was nothing but chunks of meat piled as high as a shrine hall. When he sat on the ground, needle-beaked creatures stood and jabbed him from all sides, intent on eating him, but when he rose up toward the sky, his entire body burst into flames. This caused him dreadful suffering and extreme, excruciating, unbearable agony.

3.260Venerable Mahā­maudgalyāyana thought, “What action did this being take that ripened into such dreadful suffering?” When he examined that being’s past lives, he saw that after going forth in the doctrine of the totally and completely awakened Buddha Kāśyapa, he had acted as steward for the monks. But then he took all the donations for the saṅgha, the donations to the stūpa, their regular support, and the donations for the saṅgha of the four directions and used them himself, gave some to his relatives, and incinerated some out of anger. These were the actions that ripened into his meeting with such suffering.

3.261Venerable Mahā­maudgalyāyana thought, “Though indeed I can see his past actions clearly, still I shall ask the Blessed One about this, so that many might become disillusioned with saṃsāra.” He disappeared from the seashore and traveled to Śrāvastī, where the Blessed One sat teaching the Dharma amid a company of hundreds. Then Venerable Mahā­maudgalyāyana thought, “Now is the time to request the Blessed One to explain about that anguished spirit.” He approached the Blessed One, touched his head to the Blessed One’s feet, and took a seat at one side.

3.262Once he had taken a seat at one side, Venerable Mahā­maudgalyāyana inquired of the Blessed One, “Lord, it is my custom to wander from time to time [F.153.b] among the hell beings, to wander among the anguished spirits, to wander among the animals, to wander among the humans, and to wander among the gods.

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

3.264“Lord, after preparing to wander among the anguished spirits, I disappeared from Śrāvastī and traveled to the seashore, Lord, where I saw one whose flesh was nothing but chunks of meat piled as high as a shrine hall. When he sat on the ground, needle-beaked creatures stood and jabbed him from all sides, intent on eating him. But when he rose up toward the sky, his entire body burst into flames. This caused him dreadful suffering and extreme, excruciating, unbearable agony.

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

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

3.266“Maudgalyāyana, in times gone by, after going forth in the doctrine of the totally and completely awakened Buddha Kāśyapa, [F.154.a] that being acted as steward for the monks. But then he took all the donations for the saṅgha, the donations to the stūpa, their regular support, and the donations for the saṅgha of the four directions and instead enjoyed some for himself and hoarded the rest. One day, having fallen ill, he handed the riches over to his relatives. The monks saw this and put a stop to it, so he thought, ‘If they’re trying to stop me, then at the very least I shall make it so that none of us will benefit!’ Then in anger he set all the riches on fire.

3.267“After that he died from there and transmigrated, taking rebirth as an anguished spirit. Then the act of taking all the donations for the saṅgha, the donations to the stūpa, their regular support, and the donations for the saṅgha of the four directions ripened into his flesh being nothing but chunks of meat piled as high as a shrine hall and needle-beaked creatures feeding on him. The act of burning the donations for the saṅgha, the donations to the stūpa, their regular support, and the donations for the saṅgha of the four directions ripened such that when he rose up toward the sky, his entire body burst into flames. Such were the actions of that being that ripened into his experiences of such suffering.”

3.268As soon as they heard this, the people gathered there welled up with grief. The Blessed One directly apprehended their grief, taught them the Dharma accordingly, and among the assembled some generated heat. Some generated the peak, or generated the patience in accord with the truths, or generated the highest worldly dharma, or generated the attainment of seeing. Some manifested the resultant state of stream entry. Some manifested the resultant state of once-return. Some manifested the resultant state of non-return. [F.154.b] Some went forth and manifested arhatship. Some sowed the seeds to become universal monarchs, some to become great universal monarchs, some to become Indra, some to become Brahmā, some for the enlightenment of the listeners, some for the enlightenment of the solitary buddhas, and some for unexcelled, total, and complete enlightenment. Among the assembled, most found themselves drawn to the Buddha, intent on the Dharma, and favoring the Saṅgha.

The One Who Thought He Saw His Son

3.269When the Blessed One was in Śrāvastī, there lived a certain brahmin who was aged and decrepit. He went to the garden of Prince Jeta on an errand, and he saw the Blessed One there teaching the Dharma amid a company of hundreds. Seeing him, the brahmin perceived him to be his own son and he went and put his arms around him. But when the monks saw the brahmin had put his arms around the Blessed One, they sought to hinder him.

3.270The Blessed One spoke to the monks, saying, “Monks, it is out of love for his son that he puts his arms around me. Therefore, do not hinder him. Monks, if you don’t let this brahmin put his arms around me, he will spew warm blood from his mouth and die.” So the brahmin embraced the Blessed One and then sat before him to listen to the Dharma.

3.271The Blessed One directly apprehended his thoughts, habitual tendencies, temperament, capacity, and nature, and taught him the Dharma accordingly. Hearing it, the brahmin [F.155.a] 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.

3.272Having seen the truths, he rose from his seat, drew down the right shoulder of his upper garment, bowed toward the Blessed One with palms pressed together, and implored him, “Blessed One, 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.”

3.273The Blessed One said to him, “Come, join me, 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,

3.275The 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.

3.276The monks requested the Blessed Buddha, [F.155.b] “Lord, tell us why thousands of men have seen the Blessed One, but no one has ever said with love, ‘I have met my son!’ and then run to put his arms around the Blessed One like that.”

“For five hundred lives this brahmin was my father,” the Blessed One explained. “It is because of these habitual tendencies alone that he said with love, ‘I have met my son!’ and put his arms around me.”

3.277The monks further inquired, “Lord, if he was the Blessed One’s father for five hundred lifetimes, why is he not your father now?”

The Blessed One replied, “Because bodhisattvas want so deeply to renounce and to perform acts of charity, and in all my lives he obstructed my renunciation and charity, I prayed, ‘May he not become my father again.’ Furthermore, Śuddhodana also prayed, ‘Oh, may I become the father of the Buddha.’ ”

3.278The monks then asked him, “Lord, where did Śuddhodana make these prayers?”

“Monks,” the Blessed One replied, “in times past, in the ninety-first eon, when the totally and completely awakened Buddha Vipaśyin was in the world, a certain trader offered a meal and prayed, ‘By this root of virtue, wherever I am born, may it be into a family of great means, prosperity, and wealth. May my child be one as precious as this. May I please him and not displease him.’ ”

3.279The monks asked the Blessed Buddha, [F.156.a] “Lord, what action did this brahmin take that ripened such that he grew impoverished and old before going forth?”

“Bodhisattvas want so deeply to renounce and to perform acts of charity,” the Blessed One explained, “and he continually created obstacles to my giving and obstacles to my renunciation. This act of continually creating obstacles to my giving and obstacles to my renunciation ripened into his growing impoverished and old before going forth.”

3.280“Lord,” they asked further, “what action did this brahmin take that ripened such that he pleased the Blessed One, went forth in the doctrine of the Blessed One, cast away all afflictive emotions, and manifested arhatship?”

The Blessed One explained, “After going forth in the doctrine of the totally and completely awakened Buddha Kāśyapa, 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, and manifest arhatship.’

3.281“O monks, what do you think? The one who went forth in the doctrine of the totally and completely awakened Buddha Kāśyapa then is none other than this brahmin. At that time, he practiced the holy life 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. [F.156.b] Going forth in his doctrine alone may I cast away all afflictive emotions, and manifest arhatship.’

3.282“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 Farmer

3.283When the Blessed One was in Śrāvastī, there lived a certain poor brahmin who made his living by farming. The brahmin, being hardworking, took up his plow early one morning and went out into the field. His wife, a brahmanī, likewise went out into the field, carrying the brahmin’s food and drink. When they had both eaten their food, the brahmanī returned home, while the brahmin stayed at work in the field.

3.284The brahmin’s field was not far from the garden of Prince Jeta, and on the way home that afternoon the brahmin and the brahmanī saw the Blessed One and his great disciples one after another emerging from Śrāvastī. They felt a surge of joy toward the Blessed One and his disciples, and in their joy the two of them said to one another, “Whatever sufferings we have now are all on account of not making merit in times past. If we don’t act virtuously now either, when we die from here and transmigrate, still we will only ever be poor.”

3.285“Sweet one,” the brahmin asked, “do we have anything of great value, like the rich use to give gifts and make merit?” [F.157.a]

“Lord, you needn’t worry about such things,” his wife replied. “The ascetic Gautama is a field of merit for all humanity. Even doing him some small service will bring a very great result. Let us offer food to the ascetic Gautama. If we make an offering to him, our poverty will come to an end.”

3.286“As you wish,” the brahmin said. “Go and make many good, wholesome foods. Then early in the morning, when the ascetic Gautama heads for alms in Śrāvastī, we’ll go wait in the field to offer the food.”

3.287“As you wish, lord,” said the brahmanī, who returned home and prepared many good, wholesome foods. They rose early the next morning and went out into the field, where they stood facing the garden of Prince Jeta and waited for the Blessed One.

3.288The blessed buddhas, teachers of the one path to be traversed, with mastery over wisdom and the two types of knowable objects, in command of the three kinds of sterling equanimity, fearless by means of the fourfold fearlessness, freed from migration through the five destinies, keen in the six sense bases, practiced in the seven limbs of enlightenment, focused on the eight liberations, absorbed in the nine successive meditative absorptions, possessing all ten of the ten powers, whose proclamations are the great roaring of a perfect lion, by nature regard the world with their buddha eyes six times throughout the day and night‍—three times by day and three times by night.

3.289These are their thoughts as they look out in wisdom: “Who is in decline? Who will flourish? Who is destitute? Who is in a dreadful state? Who is being harmed? Who is destitute, in a dreadful state, and being harmed? Who is veering toward the lower realms? Who is descending through the lower realms? Who has descended to the lower realms? [F.157.b] Whom shall I pull up from the lower realms, and establish in the resultant state of heaven and liberation? Whom, mired in misdeeds, shall I lift up by the hand? Whom, lacking the seven jewels of the noble ones, shall I lead to command of the seven jewels of the noble ones? Whom, not having produced roots of virtue, shall I lead to produce them? Whom, having already produced roots of virtue, shall I lead to ripen their roots of virtue? Whom, having already ripened their roots of virtue, shall I slice open with the blade of wisdom? For whom shall I cause this world, adorned with a buddha’s presence, to be fruitful?”

3.290“Those mired in misdeeds will be lifted up by the hand. Those lacking the seven jewels of the noble ones will command the seven jewels of the noble ones. Those who have not produced roots of virtue will produce them. In those who have already produced them, roots of virtue will ripen. The blade of wisdom will slice open the roots of virtue of those in whom they have already ripened. For them this world, adorned by the presence of a buddha, will be fruitful.”

3.292Then the Blessed One thought, “The time has come to tame both the brahmin and his wife, the brahmanī.” In the morning he donned his lower garment and holy robes, and, carrying his alms bowl, went for alms in Śrāvastī. The two brahmins saw the Blessed One from a distance. Seeing him, they approached the Blessed One, and upon their arrival touched their heads to his feet and beseeched him, “Blessed One, here, in this field, please accept this offering of food from us.” The Blessed One assented by his silence.

3.293Understanding that by his silence the Blessed One had given his assent, the brahmin then prepared a seat for him. “Please sit upon the seat that I have prepared,” he requested, and the Blessed One took his place on the seat prepared for him.

3.294Once the two brahmins [F.158.a] knew that the Blessed Buddha was comfortably seated, by their own hands they contented him with many good, wholesome foods, proffering all that he wished. Having by their own hands contented him with many good, wholesome foods, proffering all that he wished, once they knew that he 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. The Blessed One taught them the Dharma particularly suited to their condition and departed.

3.295As soon as the Blessed One left, the two brahmins began to pray, “By this root of virtue, may our poverty come to an end. May all the sprouts of barley growing in our field turn into sprouts of gold. May it be just so! May it not be otherwise!” No sooner had the two brahmins said these words than they saw that all the sprouts of barley growing in their field were gold.

3.296When she saw this the brahmin’s wife exclaimed, “Lord! Our prayers have been fulfilled! But we cannot make use of this gold without asking the king.”

So her husband went immediately to see King Prasenajit. Upon his arrival he addressed the king: “Deva, sprouts of gold have come up in our barley field. It would only be proper for Deva to take his share.”

3.297“Alas, has this brahmin gone mad?” thought King Prasenajit. But when he looked at him, the king saw that he had a clear mind and a peaceful demeanor. Seeing this he thought, “Might this actually be true?” and so he dispatched his royal servants to investigate. But when they arrived, they saw no golden sprouts. They returned and said to the king, [F.158.b] “If that brahmin hasn’t lost his mind, then where are all the sprouts of gold?”

3.298The brahmin returned and pleaded with King Prasenajit, “Deva, I am certain I see sprouts of gold, so I bid you, please take your share!”

The king thought, “Perhaps this brahmin made merit at some previous time‍—or perhaps he has only now sowed seeds in a good field.” So the king himself went out into the brahmin’s field, but he didn’t see sprouts of gold either. He said to the brahmin, “Brahmin, if you see gold sprouts, then whatever you’re giving away, give to me.”

3.299Right away the brahmin culled a portion from the field. “These belong to you, Deva,” he said.

No sooner did the king reply, “These are mine,” than he too saw the sprouts of gold. He was astounded to see them, and in his astonishment he asked the brahmin, “Brahmin, what did you do to achieve something so magnificent?”

“Deva, I offered food to the ascetic Gautama,” the brahmin replied.

“Brahmin, you did indeed sow seeds in a good field. Go now, don’t be shy‍—enjoy them without fear, and give gifts and make merit.” After saying this, the king departed.

3.300The brahmin thought, “Whatever glory I have received, I have received it by entrusting myself to the Blessed One. It is his kindness alone I must repay.” So he put the wealth of his household on extravagant display. After hosting the Buddha and the rest of the saṅgha of monks for three months, providing for all their needs, [F.159.a] he offered the Buddha and the rest of the saṅgha of monks each a set of robes, and then sat before the Blessed One to listen to the Dharma.

3.301The Blessed One directly apprehended his thoughts, habitual tendencies, temperament, capacity, and nature, and taught him the Dharma accordingly. Hearing it, the brahmin and the people of his house destroyed with the thunderbolt of wisdom the twenty high peaks of the mountain of views concerning the transitory collection, and manifested the resultant state of stream entry right where they sat. Having seen the truths, the brahmin thought, “I should give up living at home to go forth in the doctrine of the Blessed One, in order to ford the floodwaters and completely escape my fetters with diligence, practice, and effort.” So he gave gifts and generated merit.

3.302He went forth in the doctrine of the Blessed One, and, casting away all afflictive emotions with 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.

3.303“Lord,” the monks inquired of the Blessed One, “what action did this brahmin take that ripened into his seeing that the sprouts of barley growing in his field were sprouts of gold, and that he pleased the Blessed One, did not displease him, went forth in the doctrine of the Blessed One, cast away all afflictive emotions, and manifested arhatship?” [F.159.b]

3.304“Monks,” the Blessed One replied, “it was partly his past actions, and it is partly his present actions as well. As for his past actions, monks, in times past, in this fortunate eon, when people lived as long as twenty thousand years and 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 Kāśyapa was in the world, this brahmin went forth in his doctrine.

3.305“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 in the teaching of the totally and completely awakened Buddha Kāśyapa and practiced pure conduct all my life. 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. Going forth in his doctrine alone may I cast away all afflictive emotions, and manifest arhatship.’

3.306“O monks, what do you think? The one who was that monk then is none other than this brahmin. 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, and manifest arhatship.’

3.307“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— [F.160.a] that he has pleased me, not displeased me, gone forth in my very doctrine, cast away all afflictive emotions, and manifested arhatship. These were his past actions.

3.308“As for his present actions, after offering me food, he prayed, ‘May my poverty immediately come to an end. May all my sprouts of barley turn into sprouts of gold! May it be just so! May it not be otherwise.’ These were his present actions.”

Death

3.309When the Blessed One was in Rājagṛha, there lived in Rājagṛha a certain brahmin. 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. At the elaborate feast celebrating his birth they named him according to their clan.

3.310They reared him on milk, yogurt, butter, ghee, and milk solids, and 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. Trained in these procedures, he became a master of the six types of brahminical activities, and in time he mastered the eighteen sciences.

3.311That brahmin, having found faith in the Buddha, and in the Dharma and the Saṅgha, went for refuge, and took the fundamental precepts. One day he contented the Buddha and the rest of the saṅgha of monks with many good, wholesome foods, and then sat before them to listen to the Dharma. [F.160.b] The Blessed One taught him the Dharma particularly suited to him, and departed.

3.312Then one day the brahmin fell ill. Though he was treated with medicinal roots, stems, leaves, flowers, and fruits, he could not be cured, and died. After his death, he transmigrated and took rebirth among the gods of the Heaven of the Thirty-Three. The brahmin’s son laid down his father’s remains not far from Vulture Peak Mountain, where they were cremated. In misery he remained there in the charnel ground, suffering, lamenting, and beating his chest, wailing, “My father, my only father!” and roaming all about.

3.313Now when young gods and goddesses are born they possess three different types of innate knowledge. They know (1) whence they have died and transmigrated, (2) where they have been born, and (3) why they have taken birth there.

The brahmin saw that when he died as a human being, having offered his respectful service to the Blessed One and the rest of the saṅgha of monks, taken refuge, and maintained the fundamental precepts, he had transmigrated and taken rebirth as a god in the Heaven of the Thirty-Three.

3.314The young god who formerly was the brahmin thought, “It’s been a whole day since I approached the Blessed One and offered him my respect. This isn’t proper of me. Not a day should pass without my seeing the Blessed One and offering him my respect.” So he decorated himself with earrings, garlands, and strings of precious stones, put on a crown decorated with various types of precious jewels, and perfumed his body with saffron, tamala, spṛka, and other herbs.

3.315That night he filled the front of his long shirt with divine blue lotus, lotus, white water lily, white lotus, and mandārava flowers. Disappearing from among the gods of the Heaven of the Thirty-Three, he approached the Blessed One, scattered the divine blue lotus, lotus, white water lily, white lotus, and mandārava flowers over the Blessed One, touched his head to the feet of the Blessed One, [F.161.a] and sat before the Blessed One to listen to the Dharma.

3.316The Blessed One directly apprehended his thoughts, habitual tendencies, temperament, capacity, and nature, and taught him the Dharma accordingly. Hearing it, the young god who formerly was the brahmin 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. Having seen the truths, he touched his head to the Blessed One’s feet, circumambulated him three times, and disappeared from the Blessed One’s presence.

3.317Just then the young god looked out and saw his son in misery there in the charnel ground, suffering, lamenting, beating his chest, wailing, “My father, my only father!” and roaming all about. Seeing him so, he went to his son and said, “My son, you needn’t mourn for me. Don’t mourn for me so.”

3.318“Who are you?” asked the son.

The young god replied, “I am your father.”

“Where did you take rebirth?” asked the son.

The young god said, “I took birth among the gods.”

3.319“What action did you take to be born there?” asked the son.

“I served the Buddha and the rest of the saṅgha of monks,” the young god replied, “and I took refuge and maintained the fundamental precepts. You needn’t mourn for me. Your concern should be for yourself. Take refuge in the Blessed One. From him all good things will come to you.”

3.320Then the young god disappeared from that place and traveled up to be among the gods of the Heaven of the Thirty-Three. The brahmin’s son not only obeyed the words of his father and gave up mourning, but in his joy toward the Blessed One he approached the Blessed One, touched his head to the Blessed One’s feet, and sat before him to listen to the Dharma.

3.321The Blessed One directly apprehended his thoughts, habitual tendencies, temperament, capacity, and nature, [F.161.b] and taught him the Dharma accordingly. Hearing it, the brahmin’s son 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.

3.322Having seen the truths, he rose from his seat, drew down the right shoulder of his upper garment, bowed toward the Blessed One with palms pressed together, and requested of the Blessed One, “Lord, 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.”

3.323With the words “Come, join me, monk! Practice the holy life,” the Blessed One led him to go forth as a novice and conferred on him full ordination and instructed him. He cast away all afflictive emotions through diligence, practice, and effort, and 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.

3.324The monks inquired of the Blessed One, “Lord, tell us why this young brahmin who lacked faith was brought by his father to perfect faith, went forth, pleased the Blessed One, did not displease him, cast all 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, this young brahmin who lacked faith was brought by his father to perfect faith, went forth, and practiced pure conduct all his life. Listen well! [F.162.a]

3.325“Monks, in times past, in this fortunate eon, when people lived as long as twenty thousand years, and the totally and completely awakened buddha possessed of insight and perfect conduct, the sugata, the knower of the world, the tamer of persons, the charioteer, the unsurpassed one, the teacher of humans and gods, the blessed buddha known as Kāśyapa was in the world, there lived a certain brahmin in Vārāṇasī.

3.326“One day his wife conceived, and after nine or ten months had passed, she gave birth to a child. 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. Trained in these procedures, he became a master of the six types of brahminical activities, and in time he mastered the eighteen sciences.

3.327“One day his father developed a deep admiration for the Buddha, and a deep admiration for the Dharma and the Saṅgha, and he took refuge and maintained the fundamental precepts. Then one day he died, transmigrated, and took rebirth among the gods. In misery the brahmin’s son suffered, lamenting, beating his chest, wailing, ‘My father, my only father!’ and roaming all about.

“Sensing this, his father went to him and said, ‘My son, you needn’t mourn for me. Don’t mourn for me so.’

3.328“ ‘Who are you?’ asked the son.

“The young god replied, ‘I am your father.’

“ ‘Where were you reborn?’ asked the son.

“The young god said, ‘I took birth among the gods.’

3.329“ ‘What action did you take to be born there?’ asked the son.

“ ‘I served the Buddha and the rest of the saṅgha of monks,’ the young god replied, ‘and I took refuge and maintained the fundamental precepts. You needn’t mourn [F.162.b] for me. Your concern should be for yourself. Take refuge in the totally and completely awakened Buddha Kāśyapa. From him all good things will come to you.’

3.330“The young god disappeared, and the young brahmin not only obeyed the words of his father, but went forth in the doctrine of Buddha Kāśyapa. After practicing pure conduct all his life, at the time of his death he prayed, ‘While I may not have attained any great virtues, still I have gone forth 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.’

3.331“O monks, what do you think? The one who was the father of that young brahmin then is none other than this brahmin. The one who was his son then is none other than this young man. At that time, he entrusted himself to his father, found faith, and practiced the holy life all his life. Now as well, he has entrusted himself to his father, gone forth in my very doctrine, cast away all afflictive emotions, and manifested arhatship.” [B14]

A Story about Kokālika

3.332When the Blessed One was in Rājagṛha, Venerable Kokālika was living in the deer park in The Terrifying Forest on Mount Sabkang. All the brahmin householders living on Mount Sabkang held him in high esteem, revered him, and honored and venerated him. Having acquired provisions of clothing, food, bedding, a seat, and medicines for the sick, he provided for all the needs of every monk who came there.

3.333At that time Śāriputra and Maudgalyāyana were traveling through the region [F.163.a] and arrived at Mount Sabkang, where they stayed in the deer park in The Terrifying Forest. The monk Kokālika heard that Venerable Śāriputra and Maudgalyāyana were traveling through the region and had arrived at Mount Sabkang, where they were staying in the deer park in The Terrifying Forest. When he heard this he went to see Śāriputra and Maudgalyāyana. Upon his arrival he touched his head to Venerable Śāriputra and Maudgalyāyana’s feet and took a seat at one side.

3.334Once he had taken a seat on the side, the monk Kokālika told Venerable Śāriputra and Maudgalyāyana, “Lords, I shall provide for all your needs. Don’t be concerned.”

“Venerable one,” they said, “This area of Mount Sabkang is so eerie that we can’t bear to stay here. We’re going to stay at such-and-such a place, a very remote and secluded part of the mountain.”

“If you do go there,” Kokālika said, “I would still like to come and provide for all your needs. Please permit me to do so.”

3.335Venerable Śāriputra and Maudgalyāyana replied, “If you don’t tell anyone that Śāriputra and Maudgalyāyana are both staying on Mount Sabkang in the hermitage at such-and-such a place, then we will stay there. If you do tell anyone, then we will go elsewhere without a word to you.”

“I won’t tell anyone. Please, permit me,” Kokālika said. They assented by their silence and went to stay in the hermitage as they had agreed. As they settled in, Kokālika provided for all their needs.

3.336At that time a certain householder lived on Mount Sabkang who deeply admired the monk Kokālika and provided for all his needs. [F.163.b] One day his wife conceived, and after nine or ten months had passed, she gave birth to a child who was well proportioned, pleasing to the eye, and beautiful. When he had grown, he entrusted himself to Venerable Kokālika, found faith in the doctrine of the Blessed One, went for refuge, and took the fundamental precepts. One day he thought, “I will give up living at home to go forth in the doctrine of the Blessed One.”

3.337He went to see Venerable Kokālika and said to him, “Lord Kokālika, 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.”

“Young man, have your parents consented?” asked Kokālika.

“No, they have not,” he replied.

3.338“Young man, the buddhas and their disciples neither lead novices to go forth nor confer full ordination on young persons without their parents’ permission,” the monk told him. “Go and ask your parents, then come back here. This will make things easier for you later on.”

He said, “As you wish, noble one.” Then he approached his parents and requested, “Mother, Father, I am asking for your kind permission to go forth in the doctrine of the Blessed One.”

3.339His parents replied, “Though death will separate us from you, for as long as we yet live we cannot permit this.”

One day, it so happened that Venerable Kokālika had to go down into the townships on an errand. He presented his students and disciples to Venerable Śāriputra and Maudgalyāyana, saying, “Lords, I have to travel through the townships for a little while. Lords, please confer upon these monks instruction, advice to ponder, and a topic for further inquiry.” Having thus presented the group to them, [F.164.a] he began to travel through the townships.

3.340When he had gone, Venerable Śāriputra and Maudgalyāyana wondered, “Do these monks have some small measure of the virtues that are conducive to the four stages of penetrative insight?” They looked out and saw that they did, but that it depended solely on the two of them. So Venerable Maudgalyāyana inspired the monks with a miracle of magical abilities and Venerable Śāriputra inspired them with a miracle of admonition. Casting away all afflictive emotions through diligence, practice, and effort, they manifested arhatship.

3.341After they achieved arhatship, the householder’s son again asked for his parents’ permission, returned to the monastery, approached the monks, and asked them, “Where is Lord Kokālika?”

“What do you need him for?” they asked.

“I would like him to lead me to go forth,” said the young man.

3.342“Why do you need Kokālika?” the monks asked him. “Venerable Śāriputra and Maudgalyāyana are a supreme and excellent pair. You should go forth with them.”

The young man was thrilled to hear this. He went to see Venerable Śāriputra and Maudgalyāyana, and upon his arrival he touched his head to their feet and sat before Venerable Śāriputra to listen to the Dharma. Venerable Śāriputra directly apprehended his thoughts, habitual tendencies, temperament, capacity, and nature, and taught him the Dharma accordingly. When he heard it, the young man 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.

3.343Having seen the truths, he rose from his seat, drew down the right shoulder of his upper garment, bowed toward Venerable Śāriputra with palms pressed together, and implored Venerable Śāriputra, “Lord, [F.164.b] 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.”

3.344“Young man, have your parents consented?” Śāriputra asked.

The young man replied, “Yes, Lord Śāriputra, they have.”

Thereupon Venerable Śāriputra led him to go forth as a novice and conferred on him full ordination and instructed him. Casting away all afflictive emotions through diligence, practice, and effort, he manifested arhatship. Having achieved arhatship, he established his parents in the truths, and he inspired them to give gifts and to share what they had.

3.345Then one day on Mount Sabkang the gods announced, “Pay heed! The monks Śāriputra and Maudgalyāyana are living near your village. If you do not go see them to offer your respectful service, what can you hope for? What good will come of you?” Hearing this, many of the people living on Mount Sabkang gathered‍—group after group, elder after elder, one joyful group after another‍—and convened upon Mount Sabkang to see Venerable Śāriputra and Maudgalyāyana. As they arrived they began touching their heads to their feet and offering their respect.

3.346Venerable Śāriputra and Maudgalyāyana thought, “We have to put a stop to all this worldly profit and acclaim. We already made an agreement with Kokālika, saying, ‘If you don’t tell anyone that Śāriputra and Maudgalyāyana are both staying in the hermitage at such-and-such a place, we will stay here in the hermitage. But if people come trying to help and offering their respect, we’ll both leave this place without a word to you.’ ” And so they departed.

3.347Kokālika’s students and disciples [F.165.a] said, “We will accompany our two preceptors.”

“You all must go to Rājagṛha,” Śāriputra replied. “We need to go elsewhere and act for the benefit of those to be tamed. If we all travel there together, there will not be enough food, and that would be improper.” As soon as the monks heard this, they set out for Rājagṛha via another path and settled in there, while Venerable Śāriputra and Maudgalyāyana set out upon a different path, where slowly rain began to fall.

3.348At the foot of those mountains there was a mountain cave, and in that cave there was a buffalo herder woman who had recently gone there and slept with two different men. The monks Śāriputra and Maudgalyāyana arrived after those two had left and sat down at the mouth of the cave.

The monk Kokālika returned to his monastery after those two had left, and when he arrived he found his students and disciples had all disappeared. He asked the other monks, “Where did all my students and disciples go?”

“They left with the monks Śāriputra and Maudgalyāyana,” they replied.

3.349No sooner did the monk Kokālika hear this than he was seething with anger. “Not only did those two leave without informing me, they also took my followers with them!” he said.

While he was standing there the householder came to where he was. Kokālika asked the householder, “Householder, where did your child go?”

“He has gone forth,” the householder replied.

3.350“Who led him to go forth?”

“He went forth in the presence of Śāriputra,” the householder replied. No sooner did Kokālika hear this than he became even more furious at the two of them.

The heartbreaking admonition from the brahmins living on Mount Sabkang had likewise cut him to the quick. “Lord Kokālika,” the brahmins said, “the monks Śāriputra and Maudgalyāyana both came here, but you didn’t inform us.”

3.351At this he became very embarrassed and thought, “Those two [F.165.b] may have gone and taken all my disciples, but I can’t let them get away so easily. I will go there, muster my disciples, and return.” So he donned his lower garment and Dharma robes, and, carrying his alms bowl, set out on by the path that the monks Śāriputra and Maudgalyāyana had traveled, until he eventually arrived at the mouth of that very same cave. When he saw the monks Śāriputra and Maudgalyāyana sitting just inside the mouth of the cave, he went to them, touched his head to their feet, made pleasant conversation, and took a seat at one side. The buffalo herder woman heard their conversation, emerged from inside the cave, and departed.

3.352Now Kokālika suspected there was semen on her, for those gone forth are discerning and can recognize signs. When he looked, he knew that the buffalo herder woman had slept with two men. So when he saw her, the sinful thought occurred to him, “These two revel in sin! They are sinful!” He cursed them with crude, abusive language and left for Rājagṛha. When he came to Bamboo Grove, he left behind his alms bowl and Dharma robes. Unduly belittling them to every monk he saw, he exclaimed, “Those two revel in sin! They are sinful!”

3.353When the monks heard about the situation, they informed the Blessed One, and the Blessed One warned the monk Kokālika, “Kokālika, Kokālika, may your mind be filled with joy toward these two gentle, considerate, celibate monks Śāriputra and Maudgalyāyana, or else for a long time harm will befall you, and you will not benefit, but suffer.”

“I have faith and trust in the Blessed One,” he replied, “but the monks Śāriputra and Maudgalyāyana revel in sin. Their minds are full of sin.”

3.354The Blessed One warned the monk Kokālika a second and then a third time in the same way, saying, “Kokālika, Kokālika, may your mind be filled with joy toward these two gentle, considerate, celibate monks, Śāriputra and [F.166.a] Maudgalyāyana, or else for a long time harm will befall you, and you will not benefit, but suffer.”

3.355“I have faith and trust in the Blessed One,” he replied, “but the monks Śāriputra and Maudgalyāyana revel in sin. They have fallen under the sway of sin.” The monk Kokālika paid no heed to the Blessed One’s words the second or the third time. Then he rose from his seat and departed.

3.356No sooner had the monk Kokālika departed than, first, pimples the size of mustard seeds popped up all over his body. Soon after came pustules the size of beans‍—small beans, then large ones. After that they became even bigger‍—like mirabalam fruit, then like very big bilba fruit, then even the size of kapita fruit, until boils completely covered his body. Finally the monk Kokālika began to spew warm blood from his mouth and cried out, “I’m burning! I’m burning!” as pus and blood began to seep and then pour out of his body, until he died.

3.357He plummeted to the lower realms and took rebirth as a being in the Great Lotus Hell. Taking birth there, he had a body so large it extended for many yojanas. There, due to his past actions, human beings appeared and tore his tongue from his mouth. There were iron spikes on the molten iron that drenched the floor, which was on fire, burning all over, and covered in flames. These too were on fire, burning all over, and covered in flames‍—they were nothing but a single, searing flame.

3.358On his tongue drove five hundred yokes of oxen, and they too were all on fire, burning all over, and covered in flames‍—they were nothing but a single, searing flame. These yokes of oxen, which arose due to his past actions, had hooves like the edge of a razor, which were also on fire, burning all over, and covered in flames‍—they were nothing but a single, searing flame. They caused him infernal torment, for no matter what direction they trod, they cut and hacked at him all over.

3.359From all around there [F.166.b] fell upon him iron-fanged dogs, lions, tigers, leopards, bears, and hyenas, who tore into his flesh over and over again and fed on him. Iron-beaked vultures, crows, and ospreys came from the sky above him and also tore into his flesh over and over again and fed on him. This caused him dreadful suffering and extreme, excruciating, unbearable agony, and he let loose a great cry.

3.360Now as night fell, three gods of noble complexion came to see the Blessed One. Upon their arrival they touched their heads to his feet and took seats to one side. After they had taken their seats to one side, one god informed the Blessed One, “Lord, the one who sided with Devadatta‍—the monk Kokālika‍—has passed away.” Another god added, “Lord, that monk felt such hatred toward Śāriputra and Maudgalyāyana that he was born as a hell being in the Great Lotus Hell.” Then the other god said in verse,

3.365After the three gods had spoken thus, they disappeared. When night had passed, the Blessed One took his place on the seat prepared for him amid the saṅgha of monks. After taking his place, [F.167.a] the Blessed One said, “Monks, yesterday, as night fell, three gods of noble complexion came to see the Blessed One, and upon their arrival they touched their heads to his feet and took seats to one side. After they had taken their seats to one side, one god told the Blessed One, ‘Lord, the one who has sided with Devadatta‍—the monk Kokālika‍—has passed away.’

3.366“Another god said, ‘Lord, that monk felt such hatred toward Śāriputra and Maudgalyāyana that he was born as a hell being in Great Lotus Hell.’

“Then the other god spoke in verse, and said,

3.371“Monks, do you wish to hear the lifespan of beings born as hell beings in the Blistering Hell again?”

“Blessed One,” the monks replied, “it is time for the Blessed One teach us the lifespan of beings born as hell beings in the Blistering Hell. Yes, Sugata, it is time.”

The monks listened as the Blessed One spoke, saying, “In that case, monks, listen well and bear it in mind, and I shall tell you.

3.372“As an example, monks, [F.167.b] if someone were to set aside one grain every ten thousand years from Kośala’s storehouse of sesame grain, which contains twenty ten-bushel vessels filled to the brim with sesame grains, one could exhaust Kośala’s twenty ten-bushel storehouse of sesame grain relatively quickly and complete the task. But I cannot say, monks, that in that time a single lifespan of a being who is born among the hell beings in the Blistering Hell would be exhausted.

3.373“Twenty lifetimes of a hell being in the Blistering Hell are equal to a single lifetime in the Bursting Blister Hell. Twenty lifetimes in the Bursting Blister Hell are equal to a single lifetime in the Chattering Teeth Hell. Twenty lifetimes in the Chattering Teeth Hell are equal to a single lifetime in the Hell of Lamentation. Twenty lifetimes in the Hell of Lamentation are equal to a single lifetime in the Cold Whimpering Hell. Twenty lifetimes in the Cold Whimpering Hell are equal to a single lifetime in the Blue Lotus Hell. Twenty lifetimes in the Blue Lotus Hell are equal to a single lifetime in the Lotus Hell. Twenty lifetimes in the Lotus Hell are equal to a single lifetime in the Great Lotus Hell. And now the one who has sided with Devadatta, the monk Kokālika, has taken rebirth there because he felt such hatred toward Śāriputra and Maudgalyāyana.

3.374“That is why, monks, you should train as follows: ‘One should not feel hostile toward so much as a burnt log, let alone a conscious being.’ Furthermore, monks, one should not draw conclusions about others. Monks, those who draw conclusions about others will be lost. Monks, it is only suitable for me and those like me to draw conclusions. Instead of drawing conclusions about others, monks, one should look for the eight different causes for their behavior. One should look at (1) their comportment, (2) the scope of their activities, (3) their spouses, (4) their friends, (5) their livelihood, (6) their learning, (7) what they do, and (8) what they say. Upon such analysis, all hostility will be eliminated. [F.168.a] Therefore, monks, you should train yourselves in this: ‘One should not feel hostile toward so much as a burnt log, let alone a conscious being.’ ”

3.375After he had said this, Śāriputra and Maudgalyāyana thought, “We should check on the monk Kokālika.” They disappeared from Bamboo Grove and traveled to the Great Lotus Hell. Upon their arrival they looked around and saw there was one who looked like the monk Kokālika. After they saw him, they approached with their compassionate minds completely focused on him.

3.376Kokālika saw Śāriputra and Maudgalyāyana from a distance, and when he saw them, he felt particular hostility toward them both. “Even when I am born here I am still not free of these two who revel in sin and are sinful.” No sooner did his mind begin to rage than a hundred thousand yokes of oxen appeared on his tongue. The two of them thought, “Alas, there is no curing this deluded man.” They disappeared from the Great Lotus Hell and traveled back to Bamboo Grove, and when they arrived there, in order that their fellow practitioners of the holy life might become disillusioned with saṃsāra, they explained in detail the harms he had undergone.

3.377As soon as they heard this, the people gathered there welled up with grief. The two of them understood the grief they felt and taught them the Dharma accordingly, and among the assembled some generated heat right where they sat. Some generated the peak, or generated the patience in accord with the truths, or generated the highest worldly dharma, or generated the attainment of seeing. Some manifested the resultant state of stream entry. Some manifested the resultant state of once-return. Some [F.168.b] manifested the resultant state of non-return. Some went forth and manifested arhatship. Some sowed the seeds to become universal monarchs, some to become great universal monarchs, some to become Indra, some to become Brahmā, some for the enlightenment of the listeners, some for the enlightenment of the solitary buddhas, and some for unexcelled, total, and complete enlightenment. Among the assembled, most found themselves drawn to the Buddha, intent on the Dharma, and favoring the Saṅgha.

3.378Then the monks then requested of the Blessed One, “Lord, tell us why the monk Kokālika felt hatred toward the monks Śāriputra and Maudgalyāyana, and has now fallen among the hell beings.”

“Not only now,” the Blessed One explained, “but in times past as well he intended malice toward these two and fell among the hell beings. Listen well!

3.379“Monks, in times gone by, King Mahā­sena reigned in the city of Ayodhyā. King Mahā­sena’s magistrate was a certain brahmin who was capable, clear-minded, and trustworthy, with perfect understanding of the scriptures. In every quarter he was held in high esteem, revered, honored, venerated, and admired. His profit was unrivaled, his acclaim without compare.

3.380“At that time a certain sage who had a retinue of five hundred was living in the forest. There two young brahmins who were capable, clear-minded, and trustworthy, with perfect understanding of the scriptures, took up residence.

3.381“One day the sage thought, ‘So long as I remain here in this forest devoted to austerities, I’m of help to almost no one. [F.169.a] I will settle near the city!’ So, he fashioned a hut of branches nearby, and there he stayed, held in high esteem, revered, honored, and venerated. Yet in time, as the sage got older, he was unable to go to the city anymore. When that time came, the two young brahmins would go there in his stead, and they were held in high esteem, revered, honored, venerated, and admired by the local royalty, the high officials, the wealthy, the householders, those in the king’s retinue, the merchants, and the sea captains.

3.382“This went on until one day Mahā­sena’s brahmin magistrate thought, ‘Before, I was held in high esteem throughout the land, revered, honored, venerated, and admired, and now all that profit and acclaim has been handed over to these two young brahmins instead. When they’re no longer here, all my profit and acclaim will be restored. I will spread malicious rumors about them both, and then, when those two suspect that they will no longer be served, they will take themselves elsewhere.’

3.383“So the magistrate spread rumors, saying, ‘Those two are indulging their desires. They’re not celibate.’ When the sage heard the slanderous deprecations being made about these two, he challenged the magistrate, saying, ‘Brahmin, you should not be so hateful toward these two young brahmins, for harm will befall you for a long time, and you will not benefit, but suffer.’ Though he tried again and again, the sage could neither stop nor sway him. Hateful toward them both, he fell among the hell beings.

3.384“O monks, what do you think? I am the one who was that sage then, and lived the life of a bodhisattva. [F.169.b] Those who were the young brahmins then are none other than these two, Śāriputra and Maudgalyāyana. The one who was that magistrate then is none other than Kokālika. At that time, though I tried to stop him, he was hateful toward them both and fell among the hell beings. Now as well, though I tried to stop him, he has been hateful toward Śāriputra and Maudgalyāyana, and has fallen among the hell beings.”

3.385“Lord,” the monks inquired of the Blessed One, “what action did Śāriputra and Maudgalyāyana take that ripened into such untrue, malicious, worthless, spurious, unfounded, and destructive aspersions being cast on them?”

3.386“Monks,” the Blessed One replied, “the actions these two committed and accumulated did not ripen into the external element of earth. They did not ripen into the element of water, the element of fire, or the element of wind. The actions they committed and accumulated, both virtuous and nonvirtuous, ripened into nothing but their own aggregates, sense bases, and constituent elements.

3.388“Monks, in times past a certain two ascetics, each with a retinue of five hundred, took up residence in two different parts of the city of Pāṁśula. All the people of the city held them in high esteem, accepted them as gurus, and honored, venerated, and respected them as arhats. Their profit was unrivaled, their acclaim without compare.

3.389“At that time in a certain mountain ravine there lived a sage who was clairvoyant, a person of great miracles and great power, who also had a retinue of five hundred. He was also a great being, of a loving nature, [F.170.a] and compassionate. He cared deeply for beings and was committed to their welfare. He thought, ‘So long as I stay in this hermitage, I’m of no help to others, so I will gain support in the city of Pāṁśula and live there! By living there I shall certainly be able to help many.’ Having stayed in the hermitage for as long as he cared to, he set out with his retinue of five hundred. He walked to the city of Pāṁśula carrying clothes of deerskin and tree bark, a walking stick, a small water pitcher, and his ritual ladles. He fashioned a hut of branches deep in the forest, and there he stayed.

3.390“The many inhabitants of the city of Pāṁśula saw the elegance of his body, the elegance of his mind, and the elegance of those who attended him, and were filled with the greatest admiration. Due to their great admiration, they held him in high esteem, revered him, honored him, venerated him, and provided for all his needs. The sage likewise went to them from time to time to teach the Dharma, and when they heard the Dharma from him, some of them went forth in the presence of the sage and generated the four meditative states and the five superknowledges. Some continued to live at home and perfectly adopted the path of the ten virtuous actions. The sage would come to their homes so they could be in his company and see him from time to time, so they no longer went to meet with the ascetics.

3.391“One day the ascetics thought, ‘Before, the many inhabitants of the city of Pāṁśula held us in high esteem, revered, honored, and venerated us. Our profit was unrivaled and our acclaim without compare. But since the sage’s arrival, all that profit and acclaim has been cut off. We must make it so that the sage and his retinue no longer live here. When he’s [F.170.b] gone, all our profit and acclaim will be restored.’

3.392“They told the sage’s young brahmins, ‘Young brahmins, you should know that since this sage has arrived, all our profit and acclaim has been cut off, so we are going to spread malicious rumors all about town saying that the sage has been indulging his desires and is no longer celibate. Think well whether you should serve and revere him. He will flee in terror of the aspersions we cast, or he will kill us. With him gone our profit and acclaim will be restored.’

3.393“The two ascetics and their retinue took their places on the avenues, in the streets, and at the crossroads and spread malicious rumors, saying, ‘The sage is an immoral lecher, a wanton wrongdoer! He indulges his desires and is no longer celibate. He is a charlatan deceiving you. You should not think to pay him homage.’

3.394“As soon as they heard this, many were unhappy with the sage, and in their unhappiness they declared, ‘This indulger of his desires is no longer celibate! Never again will we hold him in high esteem, revere him, honor him, or venerate him, nor ever go to see him!’

3.395“The sage began to wonder, ‘Why is it that before, a great crowd of people from the city of Pāṁśula held me in high esteem, revered, honored and venerated me, and now they no longer hold me in high esteem, revere, honor, and venerate me?’ He looked and saw that the two ascetics and their retinue had been spreading malicious rumors about him in the city of Pāṁśula. When he saw this he thought, ‘Whatever malicious rumors about me that have spread throughout Pāṁśula all arose [F.171.a] due to my profit and acclaim, so I will leave this all behind and return to my former hermitage!’ So he led the five hundred young brahmins back to their former hermitage, and there they stayed. After the sage left, the ascetics’ profit and acclaim was restored, and they were filled with glee.

3.396“O monks, what do you think? The two ascetics with their retinue then are none other than Śāriputra and Maudgalyāyana. The actions of commandeering his profit and acclaim and casting aspersions on the sage ripened into their births as hell beings for hundreds upon hundreds of thousands of years. At that time, after they died and transmigrated, wherever they took rebirth, aspersions were cast on them. Now they have come to their final existence and rebirth, but until they attain arhatship, the monk Kokālika will cast untrue, malicious, worthless, spurious, and unfounded aspersions on them.”

3.397“Lord,” the monks inquired, “what action did the monk Kokālika take that ripened into his taking birth as a hell being in the Great Lotus Hell; that after he was born there, there were five hundred yokes of oxen on his tongue; that on his right and his left were iron-fanged dogs, lions, tigers, leopards, hyenas, and so on, that tore into his flesh over and over again and fed on him; that from above came iron-beaked vultures, crows, and ospreys that tore into his flesh over and over again and fed on him; that from his right and his left, a forest of iron śālmali trees sprung up; and that when he couldn’t bear the heat anymore and turned the other way, from above iron daggers and great arrows and single-tipped vajras and [F.171.b] spears rained down?”

3.398The Blessed One replied, “It is because he was so hateful toward Śāriputra and Maudgalyāyana.”

The Tired Man

3.399When the Blessed One was in Śrāvastī, it was Venerable Maudgalyāyana’s custom to wander from time to time among the hell beings, to wander among the anguished spirits, to wander among the animals, to wander among the humans, and to wander among the gods.

3.400When he returned, he would relate to people how the hell beings suffer through being cut up, hacked apart, beaten, roasted, and so on. When he returned, he would also relate to people how the anguished spirits suffer through hunger, thirst, being burned, being incinerated, being cooked, and so on; how animals suffer as they eat one another; how human beings suffer through striving, anger, and exhaustion; and how the gods suffer through dying, falling, disintegrating, and decaying. Those who heard him were filled with sorrow, and from this sorrow they went on to achieve great things.

3.401One day Venerable Mahā­maudgalyāyana prepared himself to wander among the hell beings, disappeared from Śrāvastī, and traveled to the Hell of Ceaseless Agony. There he saw a being with a body so large it filled many yojanas, and, due to that being’s past actions, human beings appeared and tore his tongue from his mouth. There were iron spikes on the molten iron that drenched the floor, which was on fire, burning all over, and covered in flames, and these too were on fire, burning all over, and covered in flames‍—they were nothing but a single, searing flame. On his tongue drove five hundred yokes of oxen, and they too were all on fire, burning all over, and covered in flames‍—they were nothing but a single, searing flame. These yokes of oxen, which also arose due to his past actions, had hooves like the edge of a razor that were on fire, burning all over, and covered in flames‍—they were nothing but a single, searing flame. [F.172.a] They caused him infernal torment, for no matter what direction they trod, they cut and hacked at him all over. This caused him dreadful suffering and extreme, excruciating, unbearable agony.

3.402Seeing this, Venerable Mahā­maudgalyāyana thought, “What action did this being take that ripened into his meeting with such suffering?” Though he went deep into equipoise and reached the far limits of concentration, he could not see an end to this being’s suffering. All he could see was that this being had been dying from hell states, only to be reborn in the hells once again. Recognizing this, he thought, “Who apart from the Blessed One could explain his deeds to me? For his wisdom and vision are unimpeded, and his wisdom and vision are infinite.”

3.403He disappeared from the Hell of Ceaseless Agony and traveled to Śrāvastī, where the Blessed One sat teaching the Dharma amid a company of hundreds. Venerable Mahā­maudgalyāyana saw that the Blessed One was teaching the Dharma amid a company of hundreds and thought, “Now is the time to request the Blessed One to explain about that being.” He approached the Blessed One, touched his head to the Blessed One’s feet, and took a seat at one side.

3.404Once he had taken a seat at one side, Venerable Mahā­maudgalyāyana inquired of the Blessed One, “Lord, it is my custom to wander from time to time among the hell beings, to wander among the anguished spirits, to wander among the animals, to wander among the humans, and to wander among the gods.

3.405“When I return I relate to people how the hell beings suffer through being cut up, hacked apart, [F.172.b] beaten, roasted, and so on. When I return I also relate to people how the anguished spirits suffer through hunger, thirst, being burned, being incinerated, being cooked, and so on; how animals suffer as they eat one another; how human beings suffer through striving, anger, and exhaustion; and how the gods suffer through dying, falling, disintegrating, and decaying. Because of this, the people who hear me are filled with sorrow, and from this sorrow they go on to achieve great things.

3.406“Lord, I wanted to wander among the hell beings, so I disappeared from Śrāvastī and traveled to the Hell of Ceaseless Agony. There, Lord, I saw a being with a body so large it filled many yojanas, and due to his past actions human beings appeared and tore his tongue from his mouth. There were iron spikes on the molten iron that drenched the floor, which was on fire, burning all over, and covered in flames, and these too were on fire, burning all over, and covered in flames‍—they were nothing but a single, searing flame. On his tongue drove five hundred yokes of oxen, and they too were all on fire, burning all over, and covered in flames‍—they were nothing but a single, searing flame. These yokes of oxen, which also arose due to his past actions, had hooves like the edge of a razor, on fire, burning all over, and covered in flames‍—they were nothing but a single, searing flame. They caused him infernal torment, for no matter what direction they trod, they cut and hacked at him all over. This caused him dreadful suffering and extreme, excruciating, unbearable agony.

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

“Maudgalyāyana,” the Blessed One explained, [F.173.a] “that being committed nonvirtuous actions over and over again.

3.408“Maudgalyāyana, in times past, when the one who transcended the levels of the listeners and solitary buddhas, 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 Unwavering Gait was in the world, there was certain monk‍—a Tripiṭaka master and proponent of the Dharma with all the eloquence of wisdom and freedom‍—who was living on the patronage of a certain royal palace. There he was held in high esteem, revered, honored, and venerated. He had acquired provisions of clothing, food, bedding, a seat, and medicines for the sick.

3.409“At that time there was also a certain arhat monk who was a Tripiṭaka master and proponent of the Dharma with all the eloquence of wisdom and freedom. He was making his way through the township with a retinue of five hundred when they came to the royal palace. There many people saw the elegance of his body, the elegance of his mind, and the elegance of those who attended him. As soon as they saw him, they were filled with the greatest admiration, and he acquired provisions of clothing, food, bedding, a seat, and medicines for the sick. Those many people wished to serve and respect only him, so they no longer offered their service and respect to the former Tripiṭaka master.

3.410“The first monk thought, ‘Before that monk’s arrival, my profit was unrivaled and my acclaim without compare. But since his arrival, all that profit and acclaim has been cut off. When he’s gone, all my profit and acclaim will be restored. I will make sure that, come what may, he and his disciples will not be able to remain in this village.’

3.411“So the first Tripiṭaka master spread malicious rumors all over the city, saying, [F.173.b] ‘These monks are immoral! They are sinful! You should not think to pay them homage. Why should he and his immoral retinue remain here?’

3.412“As soon as they heard this, the people no longer went to see the arhat, and after that they did not think to make him offerings nor to pay him respect. The arhat began to wonder, ‘Why is it that all those people no longer come to see me?’ Then he looked and saw that the other Tripiṭaka master was spreading malicious rumors all about, and he thought, ‘It’s not right for all those people and the Tripiṭaka master to increase their demerit like this.’ So he and his retinue left the village.

3.413“The first Tripiṭaka master was delighted and thought, ‘Now all my profit and acclaim will be restored.’ Then one day he fell ill, and though he was treated with medicinal roots, stems, leaves, flowers, and fruits, he could not be cured, and died. After his death, he transmigrated and took rebirth in the Hell of Ceaseless Agony, where a thousand yokes of oxen appeared on his tongue.

3.414“O monks, what do you think? The one who was that Tripiṭaka master then is none other than this being. At that time he fell under the sway of profit and acclaim, and due to his strong attachment, he cast aspersions on the arhat. Those actions ripened into his birth in the Hell of Ceaseless Agony, where a thousand yokes of oxen appeared on his tongue. Monks, from the time of the totally and completely awakened Buddha Unwavering Gait until my own, that being has died as a hell being, transmigrated, and taken rebirth as nothing but a hell being, incurring nothing but suffering such as this.”

3.415“Lord, when will this being be liberated from his suffering?” they inquired. [F.174.a]

“Monks,” the Blessed One explained, “in the future a totally and completely awakened buddha named Guru , who will far surpass the listeners and the solitary buddhas, will emerge in the world. While his teachings are still flourishing, this being will die and pass on from being a hell being, obtain a human birth, go forth in his doctrine, cast away the afflictions, and manifest arhatship. He will also be greatly criticized, and wherever he goes he will meet with much blame. After this alone fills him with deep sadness about saṃsāra, he will pass beyond all sorrow into the realm of nirvāṇa without any remainder of the aggregates. Then his suffering will come to an end.”

3.416As soon as they heard this, the people gathered there welled up with grief. The Blessed One directly apprehended their grief, taught them the Dharma accordingly, and among the assembled some generated heat right where they sat. Some generated the peak, or generated the patience in accord with the truths, or generated the highest worldly dharma, or generated the attainment of seeing. Some manifested the resultant state of stream entry. Some manifested the resultant state of once-return. Some manifested the resultant state of non-return. Some went forth and manifested arhatship. Some sowed the seeds to become universal monarchs, some to become great universal monarchs, some to become Indra, some to become Brahmā, some for the enlightenment of the listeners, some for the enlightenment of the solitary buddhas, and some for unexcelled, total, and complete enlightenment. Among the assembled, most found themselves drawn to the Buddha, intent on the Dharma, and favoring the Saṅgha. [B15] [F.174.b]

Morsel

3.417Once, when the Blessed One was in Śrāvastī, he said to the monks, “Monks, if all beings came to understand the fruits of giving and the karmic ripening of the fruits of each portion given just as I understand the fruits of giving and know the karmic ripening of the fruits of each portion given, then those who received offerings would not eat even the tiniest remnant of a single morsel unless they had given of it or portioned it out.

3.418“If beings’ minds do not change but rather remain ensnared by miserliness, they do not understand the fruits of giving or know the karmic ripening of the fruits of each portion given the way that I understand the fruits of giving and know the karmic ripening of the fruits of each portion given. That is why their minds clutch at everything, they fail to give, they eat without sharing any portion, and their minds are ensnared by miserliness.” Thus spoke the Blessed One.

After the Sugata had said such, he, our Founder, continued:

3.422“Lord,” the monks requested of the Blessed One, “tell us why the Blessed One has spoken in praise of giving and of the portion given.” [F.175.a]

“Not only now,” the Blessed One explained, “but in times past as well, and in the same way, I commended giving and of the portion given. Listen well!

3.423“Monks, in times past King Candraprabha reigned in the city of Vārāṇasī. His 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. 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.

3.424“This king’s nature was loving and compassionate, with a love for beings and a delight in giving. He 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 incense, flower garlands, and fragrant ointments he gave incense, flower garlands, and fragrant ointments. To the sick and to the homes for the sick he provided everything that was needed. He served the lowly, the hungry, the poor, and the orphaned. He prepared a great deal of food and drink and made gifts of it to the creatures who flew through the sky, dwelt in the water, or made their homes in the fields.

3.425“One day a drought befell Kāśi. The brahmin augurs read the portents and announced that for twelve years there would be no rain. Because no rain fell, a famine broke out, and people became uncertain what to do.

“King Candraprabha made a proclamation: ‘Let those among you remain here who have food enough for twelve years. Let those who are without travel to another land, and return when harvests are good. [F.175.b] For to your country you may return, but to this life you cannot.’

3.426“No sooner did they hear this than some among the assembled traveled to other lands and settled there. Others, attached to their homeland, simply remained. When those of them with food had consumed it all and were sick with hunger, they approached the king and said, ‘Deva, we are famished. Please, give us something to sustain us.’

3.427“When he heard this, right away the king thought, ‘All of these people need provisioning that will last for a long time.’ With this thought, he said, ‘Wait here awhile, all of you, while I speak to the grain keepers. Then I shall take action.’

3.428“ ‘Do we have enough food for me and all those who remain in the country to last for twelve years?’ he asked.

“ ‘Deva, let us take an account of the granaries and make allocations,’ the grain keepers replied.

3.429“The grain keepers examined the granaries and made allocations, and then began to tally the people remaining in the country. Then they calculated the shares to be distributed over twelve years, reckoning that every day, each person could receive a single morsel, and the king, two.

“They said to the king, ‘Deva, for twelve years each of the country’s inhabitants can receive a single morsel per day, and your share, Deva, will be two.’

3.430“As soon as the king heard this, he announced, ‘Every day one morsel will be distributed to each person living in the country.’ All the people upheld the virtuous path, and thereafter, all who died there took birth among the gods. As they were born there, they began to fill all the gods’ residences.

3.431“Then Śakra, King of the Gods, thought, ‘There are but two reasons [F.176.a] that the gods’ residences fill up‍—the appearance of a tathāgata, or the appearance of a universal monarch. Has then a universal monarch now appeared in the world, or has a tathāgata appeared?’ But when he looked, he saw that it was not so. Again he wondered, ‘Well then, because of whom have the gods’ residences become full?’

3.432“Then he looked, realized that it was because of King Candraprabha, and thought, ‘What‍—is he to become like Śakra, or perhaps Brahmā?’ When he looked, he saw that King Candraprabha was practicing to attain unexcelled, total, and complete enlightenment. So Śakra, King of the Gods, said, ‘I will go for a time and see for myself whether he is of firm resolve. If this being’s resolve is firm, I shall worship him. If his resolve is not firm, I shall steady him.’

With this in mind, he transformed his appearance into that of a brahmin and said, ‘Deva, I am famished. Please, give me something to sustain me.’

3.433“ ‘If I cut off someone else and give to him,’ the king thought, ‘I’ll be taking one life to protect another, so I will eat just one morsel of food, and give the other to him!’ The king handed the morsel to the brahmin, but just as he thought, ‘Now I will eat the other,’ the brahmin said, ‘Deva, I can’t survive on just one morsel.’ Right away the king thought, ‘If I don’t give the second morsel to this brahmin, he will starve. He might even die. Since I am committed to the welfare of beings, I’m capable of protecting the life of another even at the cost of my own.’

3.434So he prayed 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, [F.176.b] a totally and completely awakened buddha endowed with perfect knowledge and perfect conduct, a sugata, a knower of the world, a tamer of persons, a charioteer, an unsurpassed one, a teacher of humans and gods, a blessed buddha.’ Then he spoke this verse:

3.436“With that, he handed the morsel to Śakra, King of the Gods, who was in the guise of a brahmin. At this Śakra, King of the Gods, thought, ‘This bodhisattva has performed a magnificent austerity.’ His brahmin guise disappeared and he assumed his natural form and asked, ‘What will you accomplish by these efforts?’

“ ‘I shall attain unexcelled, total, and complete enlightenment,’ was his reply.

3.437“Śakra said, ‘With a mind and mental states like these, you are certain to fully awaken to unexcelled, total, and complete enlightenment. When you do, please remember me.’ With that, Śakra, King of the Gods, let fall a mighty downpour of rain. All the grains began to sprout into a great harvest, and Kāśi was restored.

3.438“O monks, what do you think? I am the one who was King Candraprabha then, and lived the life of a bodhisattva. At that time I also commended giving and the portion given. Why then, having manifested the fruits of giving, would the Tathāgata now not commend giving and the portion given?”

3.439This concludes Part Three of The Hundred Deeds.