Karmashataka 14: Bam po 14

Depending upon his father, he found faith and lived the life of purity for one lifetime. Now as well, depending upon that very father, he found faith, took pravrajyā in my teaching, abandoned all kleśas, and directly realized arhatship. / The Hundred Deeds, viśrāma fourteen. / Regarding that called "Kokālika": The nidāna was in Rājagṛha. At that time, the venerable Kokālika dwelt on Mount Sabkaṅga, in the deer forest of the Bhīma grove. The brāhmaṇas and gṛhapatis living on Mount Sabkaṅga venerated, revered, honoured, and worshipped him. Having obtained robes, food, bedding, seats, medicines for sickness, and medicinal supplies, he would attend upon whatever bhikṣus came there with all necessary provisions. At that time, the venerable Śāriputra and Maudgalyāyana were traveling in the countryside

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.

Once 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.”

Venerable 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.

At that time a certain householder lived on Mount Sabkang who deeply admired the monk Kokālika and provided for all his needs.

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.”

He 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.

“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.”

His 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,

he began to travel through the townships.

When 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.

After 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.

“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.

Having 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,

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?” 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.

Then 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.

Venerable 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.

Kokālika’s students and disciples

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.

At 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.

No 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.

“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.”

At this he became very embarrassed and thought, “Those two

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.

Now Kokālika suspected¹⁰¹ 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!”

When 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.”

The 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

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. 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.

No sooner had the monk Kokālika departed than, first, pimples¹⁰² 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.

He 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.

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 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.

From all around there

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.

Now 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,

“When certain people are born, a hatchet
Comes swinging from their mouths.
Those who lash out with words of blame
Cut only themselves down.

“A torrent pouring from the mouth
Carries off the joy of those
Who praise the virtues of the blameful
And vilify those not to blame.

“A wager lost, the gamblers bicker—
Fights over dice are fairly small.
But the trouble brought to a mind that hates
Those Gone to Bliss is enormous.

“Because with evil speech and mind
They cursed the Noble Ones,
For 1,350,000,000 years¹⁰³
They’ll circle through the hells.”

After 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,

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.’

“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,

“ ‘When certain people are born, a hatchet
Comes swinging from their mouths.
Those who lash out with words of blame
Cut only themselves down.

“ ‘A torrent pouring from the mouth
Carries off the joy of those
Who praise the virtues of the blameful
And vilify those not to blame.

“ ‘A wager lost, the gamblers bicker—
Fights over dice are fairly small.
But the trouble brought to minds that hate
Those Gone to Bliss is enormous.

“ ‘Because with evil speech and mind
They cursed the Noble Ones,
For 1,350,000,000 years
They’ll circle through the hells.’

“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.

“As an example, monks,

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.

“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.

“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.¹⁰⁴ 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.

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.’ ”

After 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.

Kokālika 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.

As 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

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.

Then 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!

“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.

“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.

“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.

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.

“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.’

“So the magistrate spread rumors, saying, ‘Those two are indulging their desires. They’re not celibate.’ When the sage heard¹⁰⁵ 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.

“O monks, what do you think? I am the one who was that sage then, and lived the life of a bodhisattva.

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.”

“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?”

“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.

“When the time arrives—and even if
A hundred eons pass—
Fruit is born of every act
That sentient beings amass.

“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.

“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,

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.

“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.

“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