ལས་བརྒྱ་ཐམ་པ་པ 15
The Hundred Deeds 15
- Language
- English
15.2
Morsel
Once, 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.
“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:
“If sentient beings only knew
What it is the sages teach—
The ripening of each portion given
And just how great it will become—
“Then their minds would not be filled with greed;
And not having shared, they would not eat;
And the grasping that pervades their minds
Would never appear again.
“Unaware, the naive are veiled
In darkness, and so they grasp at
Everything. They never think
To share, though they eat and eat.
Thus their greed, born of mind,
Keeps them bound.”
“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.”
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“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!
“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.
“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.
“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.
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For to your country you may return, but to this life you cannot.’
“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.’
“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.’
“ ‘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.
“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.’
“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.
“Then Śakra, King of the Gods, thought, ‘There are but two reasons
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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?’
“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.’
“ ‘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.’
So 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,
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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:
“ ‘By this vast gift, may I become
A self-arisen buddha in the triple world.
And when I do, may I liberate those not freed
By the mighty victors who came before me.’¹⁰⁷
“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.
“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.
“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?”
Part Four
1. The Story of Maitrībala
2. The Dark Storm
3. Ants: Two Stories
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4. The Lay of the Land¹⁰⁸
5. The Story of Āraṇyaka
6. The Elephant
7. The Nāga (1)
8. The Story of Siṃha
9. The Schism in the Saṅgha
10. The Dark Forest
11. The One Who Heard
The Story of Maitrībala
When the Blessed One was in Śrāvastī, the following took place—providing a statement additional to the life story of Wealth’s Delight in explaining how the events of The Sūtra of the Setting in Motion of the Wheel of Dharma came about.¹⁰⁹
The monks requested him, “Lord, tell us why the Blessed One sated the group of five monks with a taste of the holy Dharma, establishing them 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, I sated them with my own flesh and blood, and set them on the path of the ten virtuous actions. Listen well!
“Monks, in times past a king named Maitrībala reigned in the city of Vārāṇasī. During his reign, the kingdom was prosperous, flourishing, happy, and well populated. The harvest was good. Quarreling and arguments had ceased, there was no fighting or infighting, and there were no robbers, thieves, illness, or famine. Rice, sugarcane, cattle, and buffalo were plentiful. 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.
“This king was the epitome of love, was extremely compassionate, loved beings, and delighted in giving. He gave gifts and made merit. He provided for the ascetics, the brahmins, the indigent, the bereft, and the poor. 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. He cultivated love for the people of his country. The minds of all the people of his country
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were filled with love, and due to its power no one could do them any harm.
“One day, five life-draining yakṣas absconded from the prison of King Vaiśravaṇa. Draining the life out of many people, they made their way to Vārāṇasī, but as they introduced their pestilence there, they were unable to drain even the least bit of life from any being, not even the animals. They wondered, ‘Why is it that in this country we are unable to drain even the least bit of life from any being, even the animals? We should ask whose great power this is.’ They asked the shepherds and the other animal herders, ‘Why is it that we cannot harm anyone in this land in the least? Whose power is causing this?’
“ ‘Our king is the epitome of love,’ they replied. ‘The minds of all the people of his country are filled with so much love that no one can do them any harm. Because of him, in this land no one can do us even the least bit of harm.’
“ ‘This king is a person of merit,’ the yakṣas thought. ‘He’s well known as the epitome of love and for being quite compassionate, with a love for beings. He’ll surely be able to fill our stomachs!’ So they transformed their appearances into those of brahmins, approached King Maitrībala, and said, ‘O great compassionate one, we are famished! Please feed us.’
“ ‘With what manner of food shall I feed you?’ asked the king.
“ ‘Please feed us with freshly drawn blood,’ they said.
“At that the king thought, ‘Oh my! Though they dress one way, their food is another thing entirely! They’re not like human beings. But even if they’re not human, I shall do for them as I have promised. Still, I can’t harm others for the sake of feeding them,
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yet without harming others I cannot get freshly drawn blood. If they can use my blood for food, then I will give them my own flesh and blood.’ So he asked the yakṣas, ‘My friends, could you perhaps use my blood for food?’
“ ‘Yes, Deva, we could!’ they replied.
“When he heard this, without delay King Maitrībala arrayed the yakṣas before him and then summoned his healers and made his request, saying, ‘Find five points on my body from which to drain me, and I shall feed these beings with my blood.’
“ ‘But Deva,’ the healers pleaded, ‘we could never pierce your body with a weapon!’
“ ‘They do not wish to be parted from me,’ he thought. ‘Very well, I will extract my own blood.’ Bodhisattvas have mastery of all manner of arts and professions, so he took up a mirror himself, pierced five points on his body, and offered one to each of the yakṣas, thinking, ‘I shall not stop letting my own blood until they are satisfied.’
“At this Śakra, King of the Gods, thought, ‘Bodhisattvas keep their promises, and this bodhisattva has undertaken a magnificent austerity. It wouldn’t be right for the bodhisattva to suffer too much hardship.’ He decided, ‘I will fortify the life in his body!’
“So Śakra, King of the Gods, fortified the bodhisattva’s body with divine life force, and even miraculously accomplished much of the bloodletting. After the bodhisattva had sated all five of the life-draining yakṣas with no difficulty at all, he prayed for unexcelled, total, and complete enlightenment, saying, ‘By this root of virtue, may I become a buddha to serve as a protector for the world’s blind without a guide,
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without any guide at all, without anyone to show them the way, to rescue those who have not found their way across, to deliver those who have not been delivered, to relieve the anxiety of those frozen with fear, and to place in nirvāṇa all those who have not transcended suffering.
“ ‘By this great gift may I become
For wandering beings a self-arisen enlightened one.
May I pull from the waters of this life those who were
Not freed by the mighty victors who came before me.’¹¹⁰
“After the yakṣas had had their fill and were sated, their senses contented, they asked the bodhisattva, ‘Great compassionate one, what do you hope to accomplish by these efforts?’
“ ‘I will attain unexcelled, total, and complete enlightenment,’ the bodhisattva replied.
“ ‘If that’s so,’ they said, ‘when you awaken and manifest the unexcelled, total, and complete enlightenment of a buddha, satiating living beings with nectar, then may we become your very first disciples.’
“ ‘How can I make you into my very first disciples,’ the bodhisattva asked, ‘when you are cutting short others’ lives, draining others’ life force?’
“ ‘Great compassionate one, what advice can you give us?’ they asked.
“ ‘Adopt and maintain the path of the ten virtuous actions,’ said the bodhisattva.
“The yakṣas heeded him, immediately adopting the path of the ten virtuous actions and praying, ‘By this root of virtue, when this one awakens into unexcelled, total, and complete enlightenment, may we become his very first disciples.’
“O monks, what do you think? I am the one who was King Maitrībala then, and lived the life of a bodhisattva. Those who were the five yakṣas draining the life of others are none other than the group of five monks. At that time, I fed them with my own flesh and blood and set them on the path of the ten virtuous actions. Now as well I have sated them with a taste of the holy Dharma and established them in the unsurpassed, supreme welfare of nirvāṇa.”
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The Dark Storm
When the Blessed One was in Śrāvastī, five hundred merchants in Śrāvastī took up their goods and set out for another country. They traveled and traveled until eventually they came to a great, dark forest. In that forest lived a fierce, terrifying yakṣa who drained the life of others. He sent forth a great, dark storm that overtook the merchants. The merchants became desperate and had no idea what they should do. Terrified, they began making supplications to every possible deity.
One of the leaders among them was a lay vow holder, and when he saw that the merchants had no idea what to do, he said, “What is the use of seeking refuge in these deities who are not a refuge? Take refuge in the Blessed One. He will protect you from suffering, despair, and misfortune.”
No sooner had the merchants heard this than they took refuge in the Blessed One, saying, “We bow to the Blessed One, the tathāgata, the arhat, the totally and completely awakened buddha. Lord, Blessed One, if there is nothing past, present, or future that you do not see, know, or directly perceive, then heed us now, Blessed One. Protect us from suffering, despair, and misfortune, and save our precious lives!”
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,
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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? 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?”
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.
When the Blessed One focused his mind, he directly apprehended that the time had come to tame the five hundred merchants. He stretched out his arm like an elephant’s trunk and lifted up all five hundred merchants and their packs out of the dark forest and set them down not too far from Śrāvastī. The five hundred merchants recognized that they were near Śrāvastī and thought, “The Blessed One has rescued us!” They were elated, and because of this they thought,
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“Let us give up living at home to go forth in the doctrine of the Blessed One, in order to ford the floodwaters and completely escape our fetters with diligence, practice, and effort.”
So they went to Śrāvastī, gave up household affairs, and gave gifts and made merit. They entered the garden of Prince Jeta, where they went to see the Blessed One, touched their heads to the Blessed One’s feet, pressed their lips to his feet, and said to him, “Blessed One, what a difficult task you have done for us! You saved our precious lives.” Then they sat before the Blessed One to listen to the Dharma.
The Blessed One directly apprehended their thoughts, habitual tendencies, temperaments, capacities, and natures, and taught them the Dharma accordingly. Hearing it, all five hundred merchants 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, they rose from their seats, drew down the right shoulder of their upper garments, bowed toward the Blessed One with palms pressed together, and requested of the Blessed One, “Lord, if permitted we wish to go forth in the Dharma and Vinaya so well spoken, complete our novitiates, and achieve full ordination. In the presence of the Blessed One, we too wish to practice the holy life.”
With the words “Come, join me, monks!” the Blessed One led them to go forth as novices, conferred on them full ordination, and instructed them. Casting away all afflictive emotions through diligence, practice, and effort, they manifested arhatship.
As arhats, free from the attachments of the three realms,
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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.
The monks inquired of the Blessed Buddha, “Lord, tell us why the Blessed One protected all five hundred merchants, rescued them from great danger, and established them 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, I rescued these five hundred merchants from great danger and placed them in the four meditative states and the five superknowledges. Listen well!
“Monks, in times gone by, some five hundred merchants took up their goods and set out for another country. They traveled and traveled until eventually they came to a great, dark forest. In that forest lived a fierce, terrifying yakṣa who drained the life of others. He sent forth a great, dark storm that overtook the merchants. The merchants became desperate and had no idea what they should do. Terrified, they began making supplications to every possible deity.
“At that time there lived a certain sage who had all the five superknowledges, a person of great miracles and great power, and he saw the suffering of the five hundred merchants. As soon as he did, he lifted all five hundred merchants and their packs up out of the dark forest and set them back down whence they came. The merchants
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thought, ‘Regardless of how it happened, it is all because of this sage that we are still alive. In his presence let us give up living at home, and go forth to practice pure conduct.’ So in his presence they went forth, and all five hundred merchants generated the four meditative states and the five superknowledges.
“O monks, what do you think? I am the one who was that sage then. Those who were the five hundred merchants then are none other than these five hundred merchants. At that time I rescued them from great danger and placed them in the four meditative states and five superknowledges, and now as well I have rescued them from great danger, and established them in the unsurpassed, supreme welfare of nirvāṇa.
“At that time they also went forth in the teaching of the totally and completely awakened Buddha Kāśyapa, and after they went forth, they practiced pure conduct all their lives. 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.’
“O monks, what do you think? The five hundred monks who went forth in the doctrine of the totally and completely awakened Kāśyapa then are none other than these five hundred merchants. At that time they went forth, practiced pure conduct all their lives, and at the time of their deaths, they prayed, ‘May we please and not displease Uttara, the young brahmin prophesied by the totally and completely awakened Buddha Kāśyapa to be the next blessed buddha. May we go forth in his doctrine, cast away all afflictive emotions, and manifest arhatship.’
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“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.”
Ants: Two Stories
The First “Ant” Story
When the Blessed One was in Śrāvastī, Venerable All-Knowing Kauṇḍinya saw the truths, and when that happened eighty thousand gods saw the truths as well. The monks inquired of the Blessed One, “Lord, tell us why the Blessed One sated Kauṇḍinya and eighty thousand gods with a taste of the holy Dharma, establishing them 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, I sated Kauṇḍinya and these eighty thousand gods with my own flesh and blood and saved their precious lives. Listen well!
“Monks, in times gone by, on the banks of a certain river there lived a turtle who was compassionate, had a loving nature, and loved beings. Sometimes he walked on dry land, and sometimes he swam in the water.
“One day he emerged from the water onto dry land, and fell asleep there. An ant emerged from an anthill and approached the turtle. He saw the turtle asleep there on dry land,
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and then returned to the nest to inform the other ants. The eighty thousand other ants in that anthill heard from the first ant that the turtle was there and came streaming out of the anthill to crawl into the turtle’s shell. As they all began to feed on him, he awoke and saw that his body was covered in ants.
“Now even when bodhisattvas take a lower birth with their bodies, their minds do not descend to lower realms. So the bodhisattva thought, ‘I could go back into the water, but all these living beings’ lives would be lost. Since I strive to benefit beings, it wouldn’t be right for me to take so many lives. Better¹¹¹ to sacrifice my own instead.’ With this in mind, he took the hardship upon himself and kept silent.
“As the eighty thousand ants consumed him, he prayed, ‘Oh, by this root of virtue, may I become a tathāgata, an arhat, 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—to serve as a protector for the world’s blind without a guide, without any guide at all, without anyone to show them the way, to rescue those who have not found their way across, to deliver those who have not been delivered, to relieve the anxiety of those frozen with fear, and to place in nirvāṇa all those who have not transcended suffering.
“ ‘In the same way that I have now sated them with my own flesh and blood, saving their precious lives, when I perfectly and completely awaken into unexcelled, total, and complete enlightenment, may I sate them with a taste of the holy Dharma, establishing them in the unsurpassed, supreme welfare of nirvāṇa.’
“O monks, what do you think? I am the one who was that turtle then,
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and lived the life of a bodhisattva. Those who were the eighty thousand ants then are none other than these eighty thousand gods. At that time I sated them with my own flesh and blood, saving their precious lives, and now as well I have sated them with a taste of the holy Dharma, establishing them in the unsurpassed, supreme welfare of nirvāṇa.”
The Second “Ant” Story
Herein is an additional episode as it appears in the life story of Wealth’s Delight.
When the Blessed One was in Śrāvastī, when Venerable All-Knowing Kauṇḍinya saw the truths, eighty thousand gods saw the truths as well. The monks inquired of the Blessed One, “Lord, tell us why the Blessed One sated Kauṇḍinya and eighty thousand gods with a taste of the holy Dharma, establishing them 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, I sated Kauṇḍinya and these eighty thousand gods with my own flesh and blood and saved their precious lives. Listen well!
“Monks, in times gone by, not far from a certain mountainside was a small hole. In that hole lived a lizard who was quite compassionate, the epitome of love, and who loved beings. The iguana subsisted only on roots and fruit and did not wish any being harm.
“One day, as the lizard went out looking for something to eat, a hunter spotted him and caught him alive. After he had skinned him, he let him go, picked up the skin, and continued on his way. The lizard, unable to withstand the pain, went to a riverbank and lay down in a cool place.
Not so far from there
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stood an anthill, and in that anthill lived eighty thousand ants. One ant emerged from the anthill and went up to the lizard to have a look. The ant, seeing that the lizard had no skin, returned to the nest to inform the others, and all eighty thousand ants came streaming out of the anthill to crawl onto the lizard’s body. As they all began to feed on the lizard he awoke and saw that his body was covered in ants.
“Now even when bodhisattvas take a lower birth with their bodies, their minds do not descend to lower realms. So the bodhisattva thought, ‘I could save myself, but all these living beings’ lives would be lost. Since I strive to benefit beings, it wouldn’t be right for me to take so many lives. Better to sacrifice my own instead. While it is certain that this harm alone is enough to kill me, if I ask myself, “What is my duty?” it is my duty to give up my body for the sake of beings. I have a responsibility to them.’ With this in mind, he took the hardship upon himself and kept silent.
“Then the lizard prayed for unexcelled, total, and complete enlightenment, saying, ‘By this root of virtue, may I become a tathāgata, an arhat, 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—to serve as a protector for the world’s blind without a guide, without any guide at all, without anyone to show them the way, to rescue those who have not found their way across, to deliver those who have not been delivered, to relieve the anxiety of those frozen with fear, and to place in nirvāṇa all those who have not transcended suffering.
“ ‘In the same way that I have now sated them
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with my own flesh and blood, saving their precious lives, when I perfectly and completely awaken into unexcelled, total, and complete enlightenment, may I sate them with a taste of the holy Dharma, establishing them in the unsurpassed, supreme welfare of nirvāṇa.’
“O monks, what do you think? I am the one who was that lizard then, and lived the life of a bodhisattva. Those who were the eighty thousand ants then are none other than these eighty thousand gods. At that time I sated them with my own flesh and blood, saving their precious lives, and now as well I have sated them with a taste of the holy Dharma, establishing them in the unsurpassed, supreme welfare of nirvāṇa.”
The Lay of the Land
When the Blessed One was in Śrāvastī, there were two times of year when it was customary for the disciples of the Blessed Buddha to convene: in the middle of the summer months when the time came for the summer retreat, and on the full moon of the last month of autumn. When the time came in the middle of the summer months for the monks to enter retreat, they would receive special instructions to ponder, and then retreat to mountain ravines, mountain caves, reed huts, plains, charnel grounds, and forests, and settle there for the duration of the rainy season. On the full moon of the last month of autumn they would all return, give an account of all that they had realized, and put questions to their superiors regarding all that they still did not understand.
There was a certain monk who, having spent that period in the countryside, made his way through the countryside, traveling and traveling until he arrived in Śrāvastī, where he put down his alms bowl and holy robes. In the morning he donned his lower garment and holy robes, and, carrying his alms bowl, went for alms in Śrāvastī. He was a newcomer, having never been there before, so he was unfamiliar with the area and had very little knowledge of the lay of the land.
He had come to Śrāvastī very late,
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and seeing that the other monks had already gone carrying their alms bowls filled, he thought, “I will ask where I should go to quickly get some alms.” So he went to see Upananda and asked him, “Lord Upananda, I don’t know my way around¹¹² Śrāvastī. Can you please show me where to go to¹¹³ quickly get some alms?”
Upananda, intending him harm, pointed at the home of a certain brahmin, a faithless man irritated by all things virtuous, auspicious, and well mannered, and said, “Go to that house there—that’s where you’ll get your alms.” With that, Upananda departed.
As the monk approached the house, the brahmin, who was just heading out to another village on an errand, decided that it was a bad omen for this shaven-headed, colored-cloth-wearing man to cross his path. The brahmin grabbed hold of him, pummeled him, and stomped on him. After the brahmin let him go, the monk emerged from the house with his head gashed open, shirt and robes torn, alms bowl smashed, and walking staff in pieces, and thought, “Better to go without food.” When he came to the garden of Prince Jeta during his fast, the monks saw him and asked, “Lord, what is this? You weren’t overcome by bandits, were you?”
“No, I wasn’t overcome by bandits. Rather, Upananda thought to do me harm,” he replied.
When the monks heard the story, they asked the Blessed One about it, and the Blessed One declared, “Let one monk not point another in the wrong direction.¹¹⁴ And should a monk see others who don’t understand where they are headed, let him stop them. It is good to stop someone in such a way. Not to stop them will be an infraction.”
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Then the monks requested the Blessed One, “Lord, tell us why Upananda pointed this monk in the wrong direction and the monk went there and met with great harm.”
“Not only now,” the Blessed One explained, “but in times past as well, and in the same way, Upananda pointed this monk in the wrong direction, and when he went there, he met with great harm. Listen well!
“Monks, in times gone by, there lived a turtle in a certain lotus pond. A fox that was tormented by thirst had come to that pond thinking that he would drink some water. He entered the lotus pond and saw the turtle there. He took him in his teeth and was about to eat him, but the turtle said to him, ‘Friend, please don’t kill me. I am but a morsel to you. If you release me alive, I shall lead you to a great deal of food.’
“As soon as the fox heard this he let the turtle go and said, ‘Show me where I can get that food!’
“ ‘Oh friend,’ replied the turtle, ‘in such-and-such a region in a certain cave live a mother lizard and her offspring, eight of them in all. Go kill and eat them.’ In truth, there was a lioness living in that cave that had just given birth to two lion cubs. In order to protect them she would not leave the cave. But when the fox heard what the turtle had said, he hurried to an entrance at one side of the cave. Another fox saw him and said, ‘Where are you off to, friend?’
“ ‘In this cave live a mother lizard and her offspring, eight of them in all. I am going to kill and eat them.’
“ ‘Look here, my friend,’ warned the other, ‘if you go in there you’ll surely meet with suffering.’
“But the first fox said to him in verse,
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“ ‘I’m graced with strength and force of will.
No one is my peer. This day I shall devour
A lizard and her young
Like a regal elephant basking in a pool.’
“That fox did not heed the other’s words, and just as he was entering the cave, one lion cub caught him by the ear and the other caught him by the tail. Their mother said, ‘My sons, don’t kill that scavenger.¹¹⁵ What’s the use?’
“Obeying their mother’s words, the first tore off his ear, the other tore off his tail, and then they tossed him aside. The other fox saw what happened from the mouth of the cave and spoke the following verse:
“ ‘ “Graced with strength and force of will?” you say,
And claim none is your equal?
Handsome hero, your winsome form is gone—
It seems your boasting was misplaced!’
“Said the first fox to the other, ‘It’s not the turtle’s fault. That I heeded and believed its words is my own fault.’ And he said in verse,
“ ‘I believed the turtle when it said
“There’s a lizard family in a cave.”
A fool I was, with little foresight.
For the failure of my ignorance,
From the holy I warrant scorn.’
“O monks, what do you think? The one who was that turtle then is none other than Upananda. The one who was the fox then is none other than this monk. At that time the former pointed the latter in the wrong direction, and when he went there, he met with great suffering. Now as well he has pointed him in the wrong direction, and when the monk went there, he met with great suffering.”
The Story of Āraṇyaka
When the Blessed One was in Śrāvastī, there lived 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. He took a wife of the same caste, and as they
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enjoyed themselves and coupled, one day his wife conceived. Now, that being was in its final existence. The spiritual friend of the house was Venerable Aniruddha, and he looked and saw that a being in its final existence had taken rebirth in their house.
One day, to strengthen the parents’ resolve, Venerable Aniruddha went to their house alone, without companions or attendants. Upon seeing Venerable Aniruddha, the householder said, “Noble one, why have you come here alone, without companions or attendants?”
“Where shall we find attendants,” Venerable Aniruddha replied, “if one such as yourself does not grant them to us?”
“Noble one,” the householder said, “my wife has conceived, so if we have a son, noble one, I shall offer him to you as an attendant.”
Venerable Aniruddha said, “The virtuous keep their promises.” Having spoken thus, Venerable Aniruddha departed.
After the householder’s wife conceived, she went to a very isolated place and stayed there, for she was perpetually unhappy in the company of others. The householder thought, “Has my wife been possessed by some sort of spirit?” and he brought her to the soothsayers.
“No,” the soothsayers assured him, “she has not been possessed by a spirit. All this has taken place on account of the being in her womb. That being is happy to be by himself.”
Then, after nine or ten months had passed, she gave birth to a child who was well proportioned, pleasing to the eye, and beautiful, with glowing, golden skin and a well-rounded head, long arms, a broad brow, and a nose fine and prominent.
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At the elaborate feast celebrating his birth they asked, “What name should we give this child?” And they named him, saying, “Since it was predicted before he was born that he would be happy to be by himself, his name will be Āraṇyaka.”
They reared young Āraṇyaka on milk, yogurt, butter, ghee, and milk solids, and once he was able to walk, he naturally began to recall his former lives. When he looked, he saw that he had been circling in saṃsāra, where, caught up in socializing, he met with great suffering. Recognizing this, he was happy to stay by himself in isolated places and avoid such socializing distractions.
One day Venerable Aniruddha knew that the time had come for the child to go forth, so he reminded the householder, “Householder, before this child was born you granted him to me as an attendant. The virtuous keep their promises, do they not? Didn’t you yourself make such a promise?”
“Yes, noble one, I did make just such a promise,” the householder replied, and as he said this, he took the child by his two hands, offered him to Venerable Aniruddha, and told him, “Child, before you were born, I offered you to the noble one. Therefore go, and be an attendant of the noble one.”
“This will be of benefit to me,” the child said, and with those words he followed Venerable Aniruddha away.
Venerable Aniruddha explained the Dharma to the householder and then brought the child to the monastery. There he led him to go forth as a novice, conferred on him full ordination, and instructed him. 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.
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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.
“By staying in seclusion—in hermitages, in forests, and in remote places—I shall not come into contact with anyone,” he thought.
The monks inquired of the Blessed Buddha, “Lord, what action did Āraṇyaka take that ripened into his birth into a family of great means, prosperity, and wealth; that he pleased the Blessed One, and did not displease him; and that he went forth in the doctrine of the Blessed One, cast away all afflictive emotions, and manifested arhatship? What fault did he recognize that even as a child he rid himself of such socializing, and was happy to be by himself?”
“Monks,” the Blessed One explained, “he began to naturally recall his former lives and saw that he had been circling in saṃsāra, where caught up in socializing he met with great suffering. Recollecting this suffering, he was happy to be by himself.”
“Lord, where did he become caught up in socializing?”
“Monks,” the Blessed One recounted, “in times past, in this fortunate eon, when people lived as long as twenty thousand years, and the totally and completely awakened buddha possessed of insight and perfect conduct, the sugata, the knower of the world, the tamer of persons, the charioteer, the unsurpassed one, the teacher of humans and gods, the blessed buddha known as Kāśyapa was in the world, he went forth in his doctrine.
“Serving as steward the monk became caught up in socializing. Because he became caught up in socializing, he
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forsook his morality, and when he forsook his morality 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, indulging himself as he pleased, also gave them to others.
“O monks, what do you think? The one who was serving as steward then is none other than this monk. At that time he went forth, but 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, indulging himself as he pleased, also gave them to others. The act of tossing virtue aside ripened such that for five hundred lifetimes he took rebirth as an anguished spirit, and underwent great suffering.
“Once he recalled his previous sufferings, he was happy to be by himself. At that time he practiced pure conduct all his life, his faculties ripened, and now he has pleased me, not displeased me, gone forth in my very doctrine, cast away all afflictive emotions, and manifested arhatship. What little service he did offer in accord with the Dharma ripened into his birth into a family of great means, prosperity, and wealth.”
The Elephant
When the Blessed One was in Śrāvastī he held his summer rains retreat there. After the three months of rain had passed, he prepared his Dharma robes, put them on, and, carrying his alms bowl, set out from Śrāvastī for Rājagṛha. He traveled and traveled until he eventually came to the foot of a mountain. At that time there was a certain forest elephant who was afraid of lions and had driven his herd up onto the mountain, where he looked after them. After he ascended the mountain, the elephant bull saw the Blessed One approaching in the distance.
No sooner had the elephant bull seen him
Linked texts (1)
- ལས་བརྒྱ་ཐམ་པ་པ — Classical Tibetan