ལས་བརྒྱ་ཐམ་པ་པ 13
The Hundred Deeds 13
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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.
Venerable 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.
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 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.
Once he had taken a seat at one side, Venerable Mahāmaudgalyāyana inquired of the Blessed One, “Lord, it is my custom to wander from time to time
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among the hell beings, to wander among the anguished spirits, to wander among the animals, to wander among the humans, and to wander among the gods.
“When I return I relate to people how the hell beings suffer through being cut up, hacked apart, beaten, roasted, and so on. When I return I also relate to people how the anguished spirits suffer through hunger, thirst, being burned, being incinerated, being cooked, and so on; how animals suffer as they eat one another; how human beings suffer through striving, anger, and exhaustion; and how the gods suffer through dying, falling, disintegrating, and decaying. Because of this, the people who hear me are filled with sorrow, and from this sorrow they go on to achieve great things.
“Lord, after preparing to wander among the 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.
“Lord, what action did this anguished spirit take that ripened into his meeting with such suffering?”
“Maudgalyāyana,” the Blessed One explained, “that being committed nonvirtuous actions over and over again. He committed many nonvirtuous actions.
“Maudgalyāyana, in times gone by, after going forth in the doctrine of the totally and completely awakened Buddha Kāśyapa,
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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.
“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.”
As soon as they heard this, the people gathered there welled up with grief. The Blessed One directly apprehended their grief, taught them the Dharma accordingly, and among the assembled some generated heat. 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.
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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
When 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.
The 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.
The Blessed One directly apprehended his thoughts, habitual tendencies, temperament, capacity, and nature, and taught him the Dharma accordingly. Hearing it, the brahmin
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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 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.”
The 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,
Garbed in robes, with shaven heads,
And senses stilled by Buddha’s will—
From the very moment the One Thus Gone
Spoke to them, saying, “Come, join me.”
The Blessed One conferred on him instruction and, casting away all afflictive emotions through diligence, practice, and effort, he manifested arhatship. As an arhat, free from the attachments of the three realms, his mind regarded gold no differently than filth, and the palms of his hands as like space itself. He became cool like wet sandalwood. His insight crushed ignorance like an eggshell. He achieved the insights, superknowledges, and discriminations. He had no regard for worldly profit, passion, or acclaim. He became an object of offering, veneration, and respectful address by Indra, Upendra, and the other gods.
The monks requested the Blessed Buddha,
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“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.”
The 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.’ ”
The 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.’ ”
The monks asked the Blessed Buddha,
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“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.”
“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.’
“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.
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Going forth in his doctrine alone may I cast away all afflictive emotions, and manifest arhatship.’
“So it is, monks, now that I myself have become the very equal of the totally and completely awakened Buddha Kāśyapa—equal in strength, equal in deeds, and equal in skillful means—that he has pleased me, not displeased me, gone forth in my very doctrine, cast away all afflictive emotions, and manifested arhatship.”
The Farmer
When 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.
The 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.”
“Sweet one,” the brahmin asked, “do we have anything of great value, like the rich use to give gifts and make merit?”
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“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.”
“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.”
“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.
The 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.
These 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?
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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?”
“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.”
The ocean, home of creatures fierce,
Could fail to send its tides on time.
But when the time has come to tame
Their offspring, buddhas never fail.
Then 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.
Understanding 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.
Once the two brahmins
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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.
As 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.
When 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.”
“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,
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“If that brahmin hasn’t lost his mind, then where are all the sprouts of gold?”
The 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.”
Right 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.
The 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,
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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.
The 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.
He 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.
“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?”
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“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.
“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.’
“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.’
“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—
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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.
“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
When 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.
They 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.
That 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.
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The Blessed One taught him the Dharma particularly suited to him, and departed.
Then 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.
Now 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.
The 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.
That 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,
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and sat before the Blessed One to listen to the Dharma.
The Blessed One directly apprehended his thoughts, habitual tendencies, temperament, capacity, and nature, and taught him the Dharma accordingly. 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.
Just 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.”
“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.”
“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.”
Then 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.
The Blessed One directly apprehended his thoughts, habitual tendencies, temperament, capacity, and nature,
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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.
Having 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.”
With 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.
The 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!
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“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.
“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.
“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.’
“ ‘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.’
“ ‘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
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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.’
“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.’
“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.”
A Story about Kokālika
When 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.
At that time Śāriputra and Maudgalyāyana were traveling through the region
Linked texts (1)
- ལས་བརྒྱ་ཐམ་པ་པ — Classical Tibetan