ལས་བརྒྱ་ཐམ་པ་པ 30
The Hundred Deeds 30
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he found his mind was ill at ease with different aspects of their views.
One day the lay vow holders of Rājagṛha extolled the virtues of the Buddha in the brahmin’s presence. Now as soon as the brahmin heard them, he wished to see the Blessed One. Soon after that the thought came to him, “Though thousands upon thousands of ascetics and brahmins come and partake of the sacrifice, the Blessed Gautama still has not come. Wouldn’t it be nice if he came and partook of my sacrifice!”
The Blessed One directly apprehended what was in his mind and thought, “This brahmin will pursue unexcelled, total, and complete enlightenment with single-minded resolve. He will be instrumental in my acting for the benefit of many.”
So out of compassion for that brahmin, he set out for the remote mountain village, surrounded and escorted by an assembly of monks. As the Blessed One was traveling, he thought, “It should appear to the sacrifice master and the others at the sacrifice site as if I am alone,” and he performed a miracle that caused them not to see the rest of the saṅgha of monks. Having performed this miracle, he proceded to the site of the sacrifice.
The brahmin saw the Blessed One from a distance, and when he saw the Blessed One, he called to him, “Blessed One, welcome! This way, Blessed One—if you please. Blessed One, please partake of the sacrifice I have made here at the sacrifice site.”
“Pūrṇa,” the Blessed One replied, “I shall not partake of it until you have filled up my alms bowl with food.”
“As you wish, Blessed Gautama,” said the brahmin.
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The brahmin took the many good wholesome foods that he had prepared, and began to fill the Blessed One’s alms bowl, but he was unable to fill it completely. In his hubris he thought, “I won’t give back this alms bowl until it is full.” He and his servants continued trying to fill up the Blessed One’s alms bowl with food.
The Blessed One thought, “This is food enough now for a thousand monks,” so he declared that his alms bowl was full. The brahmin was delighted to see that the Blessed One’s alms bowl had been filled and said, “Now that the Blessed One’s alms bowl has been filled, may the Blessed Gautama partake of it happily.”
Out of compassion for the brahmin the Blessed One emanated a thousand monks right there at the sacrifice site. After the water vessels had been filled, the Blessed One took his place at the head of the row and the other monks seated themselves according to their ages. Once the saṅgha of monks was comfortably seated, the servers made their rounds. The brahmin saw all this, and seeing it he felt a surge of joy toward the Blessed One, and said, “The ascetic Gautama is a person of great miracles and great power.”
In his joy he touched his head to the Blessed One’s feet and beseeched him, “Blessed Gautama, please permit me to provide the Blessed One and the rest of the saṅgha of monks with provisions of clothing, food, bedding, seats, and medicines for the sick for three months.” The Blessed One assented to him by his silence.
Understanding that by his silence the Blessed One had given his assent, the brahmin then provided all their necessities there in the garden of Prince Jeta.
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After he had respectfully provided the Blessed One and the rest of the saṅgha of monks with all their necessities for three months, on the last day he offered the Buddha and the rest of the saṅgha of monks food of a hundred flavors and to the Blessed One he offered a very costly robe.
He also offered each of the other monks a set of robes fashioned from cotton, and 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, a tathāgata, an arhat, a totally and completely awakened buddha possessed of insight 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 the Blessed One said to the brahmin, “Very good, brahmin, very good. Brahmin, in the future you will be a protector for the world’s blind who are without a guide, a tathāgata, an arhat, a totally and completely awakened buddha possessed of insight 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—the blessed buddha known as Pūrṇa.”
After the Blessed One prophesied that the brahmin would attain unexcelled, total, and complete enlightenment, he disappeared from the sacrifice site and returned to Bamboo Grove.
The Sacrifice
When the Blessed One was in Śrāvastī there lived 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
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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. He gained perfect comprehension of all the scriptures and defeated all in scriptural debate.
One day both of his parents died and he thought, “In both appearance and learning no one is my equal—where is there anyone better?” Since his parents had performed the sacrifice from time to time, the brahmins said to him, “Child, your parents performed the sacrifice from time to time. You should follow the custom of your father.”
“In both appearance and learning no one is my equal,” the young man replied. “Why then should I give gifts to others?”
As soon as the brahmins heard this they all became very unhappy with him, and they made an agreement among themselves not to associate further with him.¹⁸¹ He was similarly unhappy with them. “What need do I have to act as patron to such people?” he thought.
One day the Blessed One thought, “This young brahmin will pursue unexcelled, total, and complete enlightenment with single-minded resolve.” With this thought the Blessed One disappeared from the garden of Prince Jeta and, bursting forth from the floor of the young brahmin’s house, the Blessed One rose into the air, sending forth rays of light
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that gave the house an appearance the color of refined gold.
As soon as the young brahmin saw this he felt a surge of joy toward the Blessed One. In his joy he prepared a seat for the Blessed One and requested him, “Blessed One, please have a seat on this cushion I have prepared for you!” The Blessed One seated himself upon the cushion, and after taking his seat, the Blessed One taught the young brahmin a teaching about generosity. After that, the young brahmin felt a strong impulse to perform acts of charity and explained to the Blessed One, “Lord, I wish to give gifts and make merit, but I’m not capable of doing such things.”
The Blessed One uncovered treasures for him, and at the sight of them he was again especially filled with joy toward the Blessed One. In his joy he bowed down at the Blessed One’s feet and beseeched him, “Blessed One, please permit me to provide the Blessed One and the rest of the saṅgha of monks with provisions of clothing, food, bedding, seats, and medicines for the sick for three months.” The Blessed One assented to him by his silence.
Understanding that by his silence the Blessed One had given his assent, the young brahmin then set up a site for a sacrifice that reached Śrāvastī and the garden of Prince Jeta. He announced, “I shall perform a sacrifice for all the renunciants of heterodox views. Whoever wishes to do so may partake of the festival and the offerings. Please come to the sacrifice site and partake!”
The brahmins replied, “We shall not partake of a sacrifice for someone who hates the brahmins.”
“If you won’t partake,” said the young brahmin, “then I shall offer the portion allotted to you to the ascetic Gautama and his disciples on your behalf,
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and it is his doctrine’s code of conduct I shall practice.”
Then the brahmins thought, “Since this young brahmin always does as he says, it’s possible he will do just that. If that’s the case our offerings will be forfeited.” So they dissolved the agreement they had made among themselves, went to the site of the sacrifice, and partook.
Then for three months the young brahmin offered many good, wholesome foods to the renunciants of heterodox views, making offerings to them all. On the last day he contented the Buddha and the rest of the saṅgha of monks with food of a hundred flavors and to the Blessed One he offered a very costly robe. After that he also offered each of the other monks a set of robes fashioned from cotton.
When he noted the major marks of perfection adorning the Blessed One, such as his golden complexion, he prayed to achieve 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, a tathāgata, an arhat, a totally and completely awakened buddha possessed of insight 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 the Blessed One said to the young brahmin, “Very good, young brahmin, very good. Young brahmin, in the future you will be a protector for the world’s blind who are without a guide, a tathāgata, an arhat, a totally and completely awakened buddha possessed of insight 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—the blessed buddha known as Arthadarśin.” Having spoken thus, the Blessed One returned to the monastery.
The Lazy Man
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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. 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 he flourished like a lotus in a lake.
The young man was lazier than lazy—once he lay down in bed and couldn’t get back up again. When his parents asked him, “Child, do you have a physical illness, or perhaps some kind of depression?” out of laziness he couldn’t even respond, so his parents took him to a healer.
The healer told them, “He’s not physically ill, nor does he have some kind of depression. He just can’t get up because he’s lazy.”
After that his parents told him over and over again, “Child, don’t be like this. You’ll never find happiness if you stay like this. Human life is sustained by the fruits of one’s abilities.” Though they urged him many times to do so, still they could not get him up.
One day the thought came to his parents, “Let us invite some persons over who are worthy of offerings. Perhaps he will stand when he sees them.” So they invited the six teachers¹⁸² and offered them food. Though the boy saw them, he did not stand.
Then the householder thought, “It’s well known that the ascetic Gautama is a person of merit, and very compelling. If our son sees him, maybe he will decide to stand.”
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So the next day they extended an invitation to the Buddha and the rest of the saṅgha of monks. After preparing many good, wholesome foods that night, in the morning they rose, prepared seats, filled the water pots, and set them out. Then they sent a message to the Blessed One reminding him it was time for the midday meal: “Lord, the midday meal is upon us. Know that the time has come, Blessed One, and your presence is requested.”
In the morning the Blessed One donned his lower garment and Dharma robes, and, carrying his alms bowl, he set out surrounded and escorted by an assembly of monks, until they arrived at the householder’s reception room. There he took his place on the seat prepared for him amid the saṅgha of monks.
The young man saw the Blessed Buddha, resplendent and agreeable, in the distance. His senses were at peace and his mind perfectly tame. He was graced with tranquility, shining and brilliant like a golden pillar. At the sight of him, the young man mustered his strength, stood in respect, and approached the Blessed One. He touched his head to the Blessed One’s feet, and once he and his parents knew that the Buddha and the rest of the saṅgha of monks were comfortably seated, by their own hands they contented them with many good, wholesome foods, proffering all that they wished.
When they knew that the Blessed One had finished eating and that his bowl had been taken away and his hands washed, they brought in very low seats and sat before him to listen to the Dharma. The Blessed One spoke in praise of diligence to the young man, saying, “Young man, through diligence one can achieve unexcelled, total, and complete enlightenment.” And the young man thought, “This advice the Blessed One has given
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is good indeed. I will not be able to attain the special qualities of the guru with such feeble efforts. I will prepare to set out upon the ocean, and I shall serve the Buddha, Dharma, and Saṅgha with respect.”
So he loaded up his wares and set out on the great ocean. Having set out on the great ocean, he successfully completed a voyage to Ratnadvīpa and returned to Śrāvastī, where he extended an invitation to the Buddha and the rest of the saṅgha of monks and provided for all their needs for three months.
On the last day he offered the Buddha and the rest of the saṅgha of monks food of a hundred flavors, and to the Blessed One he offered a very costly robe. After that he also offered each of the other monks a set of robes fashioned from cotton.
Then 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 anyone to show them the way—a tathāgata, an arhat, a totally and completely awakened buddha possessed of insight 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.”
“Very good, brahmin, very good,” the Blessed One said to the young man. “Brahmin, in the future you will be a protector for the world’s blind who are without a guide, without anyone to show them the way—a tathāgata, an arhat, a totally and completely awakened buddha possessed of insight 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—the blessed buddha known as Possessor of the Valor of Strength and Effort.”
A Story about Anāthapiṇḍada
When the Blessed One was in Śrāvastī, there lived
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a certain poor brahmin who had to provide for many and had many servants. He thought, “I will entrust myself to some rich person for my livelihood.” Then he thought, “The householder Anāthapiṇḍada is compassionate, and wants so deeply to perform acts of charity. He will be able to collect for me the things I need.” So he began to follow him about like a shadow, never separating from him.
The householder Anāthapiṇḍada became suspicious and asked him, “Brahmin, why have you attached yourself to me?”
“Householder, I have attached myself to you because I wish to entrust myself to you for my livelihood,” the brahmin replied. When he heard this, the householder Anāthapiṇḍada immediately began to provide for all his needs.
It was the householder Anāthapiṇḍada’s custom to go to the garden of Prince Jeta and sweep every day with a suite of five hundred attendants. So it was that one day the brahmin went with the householder Anāthapiṇḍada to the garden of Prince Jeta. The householder Anāthapiṇḍada had something to do, so he commissioned the brahmin to sweep the garden of Prince Jeta. With that the householder departed, and the brahmin began to sweep the garden of Prince Jeta.
Now the Blessed One thought, “This brahmin will pursue unexcelled, total, and complete enlightenment with single-minded resolve.” With this thought the Blessed One performed a miracle by which, however much sweeping the brahmin did, not even the tiniest results would be evident. The brahmin was distracted by his task and as a result was happy all day. Afterward he thought, “I should not go back to Śrāvastī now,” and that night he went to bed down in the garden of Prince Jeta.
The Blessed One told Ānanda, “Ānanda,
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make a place for the brahmin to sleep in the garden of Prince Jeta. Sit with him and answer whatever questions he asks you.” And he further instructed¹⁸³ the monks, “Monks, though I have taught that monks should live with their virtues hidden and their sins disclosed, out of compassion for this brahmin whoever has achieved some miraculous powers should display them openly.”
Venerable Ānanda replied, “I shall, Lord.” And Venerable Ānanda then instructed the monks, “Make a place for the brahmin sitting in the garden of Prince Jeta to sleep, then sit with him a while.”
As the brahmin sat there in the garden, different monks began to display their various miraculous powers. Seeing them, the brahmin asked Venerable Ānanda, “Lord Ānanda, who are these people who have such great miracles and great power? What kind of people are they?”
“These are the disciples of the Blessed One,” said Venerable Ānanda.
“If even his disciples are sublime,” the brahmin thought, “what need to speak of what the ascetic Gautama himself must be like.”
Then the Blessed One had a thought about the world: “It would be good for the four great kings to come see me this evening, for Śakra, King of the Gods, to come see me in the middle of the night, and for Sahāṃpati Brahmā to come to see me early in the morning.”
Once the Buddha had this thought the four great kings, Śakra, King of the Gods, and Sahāṃpati Brahmā came to see the Blessed One, accordingly. When he saw them the brahmin asked Venerable Ānanda, “Lord Ānanda, who are these beings?”
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“These are the four great kings, Śakra, King of the Gods, and Sahāṃpati Brahmā, who have all come to see the Blessed One,” Venerable Ānanda replied.
When he heard this the brahmin experienced a surge of joy toward the Blessed One. He thought, “If there are those who are capable of achieving such a state even as human beings, then I will also become a buddha and appear in the world!” And he thought, “Such a state cannot be attained simply by wishing for it, so I will give gifts, make merit, and pray for unexcelled, total, and complete enlightenment.” When morning came, he touched his head to the Blessed One’s feet and departed for Śrāvastī.
The householder Anāthapiṇḍada was on his way to the garden of Prince Jeta with a company of five hundred servants when he saw the brahmin from a distance. When he saw him he called to the brahmin, “Brahmin, did you see anything amazing or wondrous in the garden of Prince Jeta?” The brahmin then related everything to the householder Anāthapiṇḍada.
“Brahmin,” the householder Anāthapiṇḍada asked, “what is your wish, now that you have seen such amazing and wondrous things?”
The brahmin replied, “Though I wish for unexcelled, total, and complete enlightenment, householder, I shall not attain such a state simply by wishing for it. Therefore, I want to give gifts to those who beg, and to make merit.”
Upon hearing this, the householder Anāthapiṇḍada immediately gave a heap of jewels to the brahmin. The brahmin extended an invitation to the Buddha and the rest of the saṅgha of monks, and for three months provided for all their needs.
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After he had respectfully served all the needs of the Blessed One and the rest of the saṅgha of monks for three months, on the last day he offered the Buddha and the rest of the saṅgha of monks food of a hundred flavors and to the Blessed One he offered a very costly robe. He also offered each of the other monks a set of robes fashioned from cotton.
Then he prayed for unexcelled, total, and complete enlightenment: “By this root of virtue may I become a protector for the world’s blind who are without a guide, without anyone to show them the way—a tathāgata, an arhat, a totally and completely awakened buddha possessed of insight 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 the Blessed One said to the brahmin, “Very good, brahmin, very good. Brahmin, in the future you will be a protector for the world’s blind who are without a guide, without anyone to show them the way—a tathāgata, an arhat, a totally and completely awakened buddha possessed of insight 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—the blessed buddha known as Aśoka.”
The Humble One
When the Blessed One was in Śrāvastī, the householder Anāthapiṇḍada had seven sons in total, each of them named according to their clan. They were reared on milk, yogurt, butter, ghee, and milk solids, and they flourished like lotuses in a lake.
One day the householder Anāthapiṇḍada thought, “I should introduce these children to a social club, but I should introduce them to one that has faith, not one that has no faith. If I introduce them to one that has no faith, it may influence them to not believe in the Buddha’s doctrine.” So he introduced them to a Buddhist social club.
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The faithless went about seeking entertainment, roaming the village, and frequenting prostitutes. But the sons of the householder Anāthapiṇḍada rendered special service to their group of lay vow holders and to the Buddha, Dharma, and Saṅgha, and occupied themselves with single-day fasting vows and listening to the Dharma.
There also lived in Śrāvastī a certain young brahmin who was poor and destitute of means, and he thought, “I will join this social club and entrust myself to them for my livelihood.” Wishing to join the group of lay vow holders, he asked them, “How much money do I need to join your group?”
“You may join us for five hundred gold coins,” they said.
“How could I have five hundred gold coins?” said the young brahmin. “Even if I wanted to give you the money you require, I am destitute of means, so I don’t have any such money to offer you.”
The sons of the householder Anāthapiṇḍada replied, “If you have faith in the doctrine of the Blessed Buddha, we’ll give you five hundred gold coins.”
“I know nothing of the ascetic Gautama’s great virtues,” said the young brahmin. “What are the ascetic Gautama’s great virtues?”
The sons of householder Anāthapiṇḍada then extolled the virtues of the Buddha to the young brahmin, and when he heard about them, the young brahmin experienced a surge of joy toward the Buddha. In his joy he said, “I will join your group, and I will take refuge in the Blessed Buddha, Dharma, and Saṅgha.” The sons of the householder Anāthapiṇḍada heard what he said, and gave him hundreds upon hundreds of gold coins.
In this way the young brahmin joined the group.
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One day the social club decided, “Let’s invite the Buddha and the rest of the saṅgha of monks and respectfully serve all their needs for three months.”
Some replied, “We won’t all be able to do just that continuously for three months. So let’s take turns offering them food each day.”
“I am destitute of means,” the brahmin said. “I won’t be able to do that for even a day.”
“Those who aren’t able to offer food to the Buddha and the rest of the saṅgha of monks should part company with us,” the others replied.
The young brahmin thought, “Whether or not I remain a member later, it would not be right for me to part ways with them right now.” He said, “I will take my turn on the final day. In the meantime, please give to me all your leftovers.”
“As you wish,” the social club members replied.
They extended an invitation to the Buddha and the rest of the saṅgha of monks for three months, and for three months each of them took turns respectfully serving the Buddha and the rest of the saṅgha of monks with everything they needed. Whatever was left over they gave to the young brahmin. The young brahmin gathered it all together and led others to offer some gold coins, until on the last day he invited the Buddha and the rest of the saṅgha of monks to his house, along with King Prasenajit and the householder Anāthapiṇḍada.
That night, after beautifying the streets and beautifying the city, he prepared many good, wholesome foods, and in the morning he rose, prepared seats, filled the water pots, and set them out. Then he sent a message to the Blessed One reminding him it was time for the midday meal: “Lord, the midday meal is upon us. Know that the time has come, Blessed One,
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and your presence is requested.”
In the morning, the Blessed One donned his lower garment and Dharma robes, and, carrying his alms bowl, set out surrounded and escorted by an assembly of monks. When he arrived at the young brahmins’ reception room, he took his place on the seat prepared for him amid the saṅgha of monks. Once the young brahmin knew that the Buddha and the rest of the saṅgha of monks were comfortably seated, by his own hand he contented them with many good, wholesome foods, proffering all that they wished, and offered the finest clothing to the Blessed One.
After that he also offered each of the other monks a set of robes fashioned from cotton, and 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 anyone to lead them, a tathāgata, an arhat, a totally and completely awakened buddha possessed of insight 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.”
The Blessed One said to the brahmin, “Very good, brahmin, very good. Brahmin, in the future you will be a protector for the world’s blind who are without a guide, without anyone to lead them, a tathāgata, an arhat, a totally and completely awakened buddha possessed of insight 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—the blessed buddha known as Conciliator.”
Padmottama: Two Stories
The First “Padmottama” Story
When¹⁸⁴ the Blessed One was in Śrāvastī, it was King Prasenajit’s custom to go to see the Blessed One three times a day. He would worship him with flowers, burning sticks of incense,
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incense powders, and incense cones, then sit before him to listen to the Dharma.
At that time a lotus bloomed out of season on a pond at a groundskeeper’s residence.¹⁸⁵ The groundskeeper thought, “Three times a day King Prasenajit offers flowers, burning sticks of incense, incense powders, and incense cones to the ascetic Gautama, so I will give this lotus to him,” and he brought the lotus to Śrāvastī.
At that time there was a devotee of Nārāyaṇa performing a sacrifice for all the renunciants of heterodox views, and he saw the man carrying the out-of-season lotus. When he saw him approaching, he called out, “Sir! Please give your lotus to me! I shall use it to make offerings to the blessed deity Nārāyaṇa, and I shall also give five hundred gold coins to you.”
At that time the householder Anāthapiṇḍada was going to see the Blessed One with his five hundred servants. The householder Anāthapiṇḍada heard what the man said, and thought, “This man errs in his judgment. If he wishes to pay such a large sum to offer this to Nārāyaṇa, why don’t I produce a still greater sum and buy it to offer to the Blessed One?” So he said to the groundskeeper, “I’ll give you a thousand gold coins to give the lotus to me.”
When the devotee of Nārāyaṇa heard this, with a feeling of superiority he said, “I shall give you two thousand gold coins!”
Continuing in that way, the two increased their bids up to a hundred thousand gold coins. Then the groundskeeper thought, “If the householder Anāthapiṇḍada would give a hundred thousand gold coins like this for his sake, the ascetic Gautama must be truly great. Why don’t I go and make an offering to the Blessed One myself?” So the gardener told the householder
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Anāthapiṇḍada, “Householder, I have no need for wealth. I will go and offer it to the Blessed One myself.”
As he was carrying the lotus to the garden of Prince Jeta, he caught sight of the Blessed Buddha 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 he saw the Blessed Buddha the sight of him filled him with supreme joy. In joy he approached the Blessed One, and upon his arrival he touched his head to the Blessed One’s feet and cast the lotus toward him in worship. Then, by the power of the Blessed One, the lotus became like the wheel of a chariot above him, moving when the Blessed One moved, and remaining still when he sat still.
When he witnessed this miracle, the groundskeeper was especially filled with joy toward the Blessed One, and 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 anyone to lead them, a tathāgata, an arhat, a totally and completely awakened buddha possessed of insight 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.”
The Blessed One said to the groundskeeper, “Very good, my friend, very good. In the future you will be a protector for the world’s blind who are without a guide, a tathāgata, an arhat, a totally and completely awakened buddha possessed of insight and perfect conduct, a sugata, a knower of the world,
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a tamer of persons, a charioteer, an unsurpassed one, a teacher of humans and gods—the blessed buddha known as Padmottama.”
The Second “Padmottama” Story
When the Blessed One was in Śrāvastī, there lived a certain groundskeeper who saw a lotus growing out of season in a lake. The thought came to him, “Let me offer this to King Prasenajit, that it might become a source of wealth for me,” so he bore it off to the royal palace.
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? 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,
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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.
The Blessed One thought, “This groundskeeper will pursue unexcelled, total, and complete enlightenment with single-minded resolve.” With this in mind, in the morning he donned his lower garment and Dharma robes, and, carrying his alms bowl, he went for alms in Śrāvastī.
The groundskeeper saw the Blessed Buddha from a distance, and he was overcome with joy toward the Blessed One. In his joy he thought, “Forget about King Prasenajit, I’m going to offer worship to the Blessed One myself.” So he tossed the lotus into the sky above the Blessed One, and by the power of the Blessed One the lotus became like the wheel of a chariot above him, moving when the Blessed One moved, and remaining still when he sat still.
Upon witnessing such a miracle the groundskeeper was especially filled with joy toward the Blessed One, and 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 anyone to lead them, a tathāgata, an arhat, a totally and completely awakened buddha one possessed of insight 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.”
The Blessed One said to the groundskeeper, “Very good, my friend, very good. In the future you will be a protector for the world’s blind who are without a guide, a tathāgata,
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an arhat, a totally and completely awakened buddha possessed of insight 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—the blessed buddha known as Uttama.”¹⁸⁶
The Story of Sudarśana
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. The householder was of a loving nature, quite compassionate, and equitable in charity. He cared for beings, wanted deeply to perform acts of charity, and regarded persons of any and every type of view equally.
From time to time he performed a great sacrifice and engaged in textual studies of the treatises. When he looked out, he saw that he was getting all of the praise while others were being disparaged, and they were unhappy with him.
One day the householder heard the Blessed One being praised, and he thought, “Since the Blessed One has realized all dharmas, it’s certain he’s omniscient.” And when he heard him being praised, he thought, “How good it would be for the Blessed One to come to the site of my sacrifice!”
Thereupon the Blessed One thought, “I will generate the root of virtue in this householder. He will be instrumental in guiding a great many disciples.” With that thought he disappeared from the garden of Prince Jeta and approached the householder’s site of sacrifice.
The householder saw the Blessed Buddha from a distance, and at the sight of him he was filled with joy. Full of such joy, he approached the Blessed One, touched his head to the Blessed One’s feet, and beseeched him,
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“Please come to the site of my sacrifice. I ask that you please partake,” whereupon the Blessed One assented by his silence. Once the householder knew that the Buddha and the rest of the saṅgha of monks were comfortably seated, by his own hand he contented them with many good, wholesome foods, proffering all that they wished, and sat before them to listen to the Dharma.
The Blessed One spurred him on to achieve unexcelled, total, and complete enlightenment, and so the householder felt a strong desire for unexcelled, total, and complete enlightenment. He extended an invitation to the Buddha and the rest of the saṅgha of monks for three months, and provided everything they needed. On the last day he offered the Buddha and the rest of the saṅgha of monks food of a hundred flavors, and to the Blessed One he offered a very costly robe.
Then 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 anyone to lead them, a tathāgata, an arhat, a totally and completely awakened buddha possessed of insight 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.”
The Blessed One said to the householder, “Very good, householder, very good. Householder, in the future you will be a protector for the world’s blind who are without a guide, a tathāgata, an arhat, a totally and completely awakened buddha possessed of insight 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—the
Linked texts (1)
- ལས་བརྒྱ་ཐམ་པ་པ — Classical Tibetan