Karmashataka 25: Bam po 25

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

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

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

“Lord, where did he make these prayers?”

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

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

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

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

“The young brahmin Aśoka heard that Bodhisattva Kāśyapa had achieved unexcelled, total, and complete enlightenment. He heard that the Bodhisattva had traveled to Vārāṇasī where he was invited for food by King Kṛkī, and that King Kṛkī had arranged for the road to be beautified, had prepared many good, wholesome foods that night, and then had risen in the morning, prepared seats, and filled the water pots. He heard that the king had sent the Blessed One a message reminding him of the time; that he had borne burning sticks of incense, incense powders, and incense cones,

parasols, banners, and flags, amid a crashing of cymbals; that he had set out from Ṛṣivadana; and that he had greeted the totally and completely awakened Buddha Kāśyapa with great opulence and invited him to Vārāṇasī. After hearing all this, because he was so upset before, he sat at a distance and looked on, not wishing to approach.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“The god thought, ‘Anything of significance he achieved was on account of my powers,’ and he prayed, ‘By this root of virtue, may I please and not displease Uttara, the young brahmin prophesied by the totally and completely awakened Buddha Kāśyapa to be the next blessed buddha. May I go forth in his doctrine alone, and may my teacher pass into parinirvāṇa only after I pass into parinirvāṇa before him.’

“O monks, what do you think? The one who was the god then is none other than Subhadra. At that time he prayed, ‘May I please and not displease Uttara, the young brahmin prophesied by the totally and completely awakened Buddha Kāśyapa to be the next blessed buddha. Going forth in his doctrine alone may I cast away all afflictive emotions, and manifest arhatship. May my teacher pass into parinirvāṇa only after I pass into parinirvāṇa before him.’

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

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

“Furthermore, monks, in times gone by, some five hundred sages were living deep in a certain forest. In that particular forest there also lived a god who was very fond of the sages. At that time the tathāgata, the arhat, the totally and completely awakened buddha possessed of insight and perfect conduct, the sugata, the knower of the world, the tamer of persons, the charioteer, the unsurpassed one, the teacher of humans and gods, the blessed buddha known as Krakucchanda was in the world.

“At that time the totally and completely awakened Buddha Krakucchanda also happened to be teaching before a great gathering, of which the god was a part. After hearing the Dharma from the totally and completely awakened Buddha Krakucchanda, he went to live deep in the forest, where he spoke the praises of the totally and completely awakened Buddha Krakucchanda to the sages.

As soon as they heard him, the sages were eager to see the totally and completely awakened Buddha Krakucchanda, and they prayed fervently to the god, until they were able to¹⁷¹ travel to where the totally and completely awakened Buddha Krakucchanda was.

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

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

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

“By speaking the words ‘Come, join me, monks!’ to the five hundred sages, the totally and completely awakened Buddha Krakucchanda

led them to go forth as novices, conferred on them full ordination, and instructed them. Casting away all afflictive emotions through diligence, practice, and effort, they manifested arhatship.

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

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

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

“O monks, what do you think? The one who was that god then

is none other than Subhadra. Monks, because of his prayers, and now that I myself have become the very equal of the totally and completely awakened Buddha Krakucchanda—equal in strength, equal in deeds, and equal in skillful means—he has pleased me, not displeased me, gone forth in my very doctrine, cast away all afflictive emotions, and manifested arhatship. And it is only now, after he has passed into parinirvāṇa, that I too shall pass into parinirvāṇa.”

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

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

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

“One day this clever horse died, and the news spread far and wide as people reported, ‘King Brahmadatta’s clever horse has died.’ As soon as the neighboring kings heard this, they all thought, ‘Whatever taxes he levied against us, he could levy only by the grace of this clever horse. Now when we see him coming, we can do as we please.’ They then waited for an opportunity to expose his vulnerabilities. King Brahmadatta heard the news that the neighboring kings were waiting to expose his vulnerabilities,

and as soon as he heard this he became afraid and could no longer leave the city.

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

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

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

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

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

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

“ ‘Though you see my body
Struck in battle by an arrow,
Do not fear, my king,
For I shall save you first before I die.’

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

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

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

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

“The deer that led the herd thought, ‘As the leader of the herd, I must think only of its welfare and happiness.’ He cast all about, wondering, ‘Which way should the deer go to escape?’ As he looked about, he saw a raging river,

and its riverbank was the only place that was not surrounded by the four divisions of the army. No one was on the riverbank.

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

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

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

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

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

“Yes, Lord, I did.”

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

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

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

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

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

“Lord, where did he make these prayers?”

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

“At that time in Vārāṇasī there also lived a certain lay vow holder who was a poor man. As he watched these wonderful things happen to the musician, a great desire for them arose in him. ‘It’s by the power of his previous deeds that such things happen to him,’ he thought. ‘Such deeds are good indeed!’ Having thought this, he went for refuge and maintained the fundamental precepts all his life, and at the time of his death, he prayed, ‘By this root of virtue, wherever I am born, may it be into a family of great means, prosperity, and wealth, and may I become a king among musicians. May I please and not displease Uttara, the young brahmin prophesied by the totally and completely awakened Buddha Kāśyapa to be the next blessed buddha.’

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

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

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

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

“Monks, in times gone by, King Jaya (Victorious) reigned in the city of Undefeated Victory. One day the queen conceived, and after nine or ten months had passed

she gave birth to a child who was well proportioned, pleasing to the eye, and beautiful. At the elaborate feast celebrating his birth they asked, ‘What name should we give this child?’ And they named him, saying, ‘Since this is the child of Jaya, his name will be Vijaya.’

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

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

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

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

country.’

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

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

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

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

“Śakra, King of the Gods, looked, and saw that it was because of King Vijaya. He thought, ‘What is he trying to do there?’ and when he looked again he saw that he was practicing to attain unexcelled, total, and complete enlightenment. Then Śakra, King of the Gods, thought, ‘I will go for a time