ལས་བརྒྱ་ཐམ་པ་པ 34
The Hundred Deeds 34
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rejoiced, and asked the Blessed One another question.
“Lord, are all beings alike in their desires, cravings, beliefs, and intentions?”
“No, Kauśika,” the Blessed One replied, “all beings are not alike in their desires, cravings, beliefs, and intentions. Kauśika, beings do not have a single temperament; they have various temperaments. Those who insist that a certain temperament is supreme are utterly convinced of it and act accordingly, thinking, ‘This is the truth. Others are deluded.’
“Kauśika, since it is the case that beings have various different temperaments, then those who insist that a certain temperament is supreme, are utterly convinced of it, and act accordingly should not think, ‘This is the truth. Others are deluded.’ This is because it is on account of beings having various different temperaments that they insist that a certain temperament is supreme, are utterly convinced of it, and act accordingly, thinking, ‘This is the truth. Others are deluded.’
“Lord, so it is. It is just as you say,” Śakra, King of the Gods, agreed. “All beings are not alike in their desires, cravings, beliefs, and intentions. Lord, beings have various different temperaments. On this account, they insist that a certain temperament is supreme, are utterly convinced of it, and act accordingly, thinking, ‘This is the truth. Others are deluded.’ I understand the meaning the Blessed One’s words, have overcome my doubt, and have no hesitation.”
After Śakra, King of the Gods,
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had heard the Blessed One’s response to his question, he praised the Blessed One’s words, rejoiced, and asked the Blessed One other questions.
“Lord, tell me—have the ascetics and brahmins all attained the unsurpassed, supreme welfare? Are they all forever free of distorting influences and perfected in their practice of pure conduct?”
“Kauśika,” the Blessed One replied, “the ascetics and brahmins have not all attained the unsurpassed, supreme welfare, nor are they all forever free of distorting influences and perfected in their practice of pure conduct. Only those among the ascetics and brahmins who have exhausted their thirst²⁰⁷ for unexcelled liberation and whose perfect minds are utterly liberated have attained the unsurpassed, supreme welfare, and are forever free of distorting influences and perfected in their practice of pure conduct.”
“Lord, so it is. It is just as you say,” Śakra, King of the Gods, agreed. “The ascetics and brahmins have not all attained the unsurpassed, supreme welfare, nor are they all forever free of distorting influences and perfected in their practice of pure conduct. Only those among the ascetics and brahmins who have exhausted their thirst for²⁰⁸ unexcelled liberation and whose perfect minds are utterly liberated have attained the unsurpassed, supreme welfare, and are forever free of distorting influences and perfected in their practice of pure conduct. I understand the meaning of the Blessed One’s words, have overcome my doubt, have no hesitation, and with this thorn removed, I no longer despair. On this account I shall henceforth never give rise to such thoughts again.
“Lord, because of not having gained any understanding before in specific response to my questions,
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after a long time waiting, I have now finally consulted the Blessed One. By means of the words spoken by the Tathāgata, the Arhat, the totally and completely awakened Buddha, the thorn of my doubt and second thoughts has been removed.”
The Blessed One asked him, “Kauśika, do you recall asking such questions of the other ascetics and brahmins?”
Śakra, King of the Gods, replied, “Yes, Lord, I do recall this. At one time the gods gathered and took their seats in the assembly hall of the Heaven of the Thirty-Three. They searched for the Tathāgata, the Arhat, the totally and completely awakened Buddha, and not having found the Tathāgata, the Arhat, the totally and completely awakened Buddha, they rose from their seats and went their separate ways, and while the more prominent gods among them remained to search further, the others died, transmigrated, and disappeared.
“Lord, when even those most prominent gods died and transmigrated, I grew panicked and afraid, thinking, ‘Will I too die and transmigrate?’ And wherever I saw ascetics and brahmins living in isolation, thinking that they were the tathāgatas, the arhats, the totally and completely awakened buddhas, I approached them.
“ ‘Who are you?’ they would ask me, and I responded, ‘I am Śakra, King of the Gods.’ Then in joy and gladness they exclaimed, ‘Oh, we have seen Śakra!’ over and over again, and began to ask questions of me, so I did not put my questions to them. They took refuge in me, so I did not take refuge in them.
“From this day forth I am a disciple of the Blessed One. I take my refuge in the Blessed One.
“There’s no end to thought construction.²⁰⁹
I
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have had so many doubts and qualms.
Thus I ranged about so long,
In search of the Tathāgata.
“In blindness I have come to serve
The perfect Buddha, and since I know not,
I have to ask of all the rest
The means by which to please him best—
“With what practice, by what path?
But no answer do they give at all.
Blessed One,²¹⁰ you apprehend
All my wishes, however small,
“Whatever I think, all I assess,
Whence the mind comes, and where it goes.
All of us whose minds are known by yours,
Each one of us, upon this day—
“Blessed One, arhat, we request
You make a statement, give some word.
Buddha, awakened teacher,
Victor, Māra’s tamer, skillful
“Surgeon for latent afflictions,
You who safely arrived, and yet returns
To rescue all beings—
In this world you are the Buddha,
“And you alone are unsurpassed.
Not in all the world nor even
Among the gods have you any peer.
Great hero, to you I bow.
“Highest of persons, to you I bow.
I bow to the one
From the Clan of the Sun
Who removes the thorn of existence.”
“Kauśika,” the Blessed One asked him, “do you recall ever attaining such a truth, or attaining experiences of such happiness?”
Śakra, King of the Gods, replied, “I recall attaining experiences of happiness. But I can’t recall an experience of attaining the truth. Lord, there was one time when the gods and demigods were waging war on one another, and the gods were victorious and the demigods defeated. Thereupon I thought, ‘Here I am now in the city of the gods. I will gather up all the pleasures of the gods and all the pleasures of the demigods and enjoy them for myself.’ That attainment of happiness came on the heels of war, on the heels of reproof, on the heels of conflict, on the heels of contention. But, Lord,
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the achievement of this happiness—this vision of truth—does not come on the heels of war, nor on the heels of reproof, nor on the heels of conflict, nor on the heels of contention.
“Lord, when I think of the kindness the Blessed One did in bringing me to the Dharma, I think, ‘When I die from here and transmigrate, may I take rebirth in a house equal in fortune to prosperous and wealthy persons of vast and magnificent means with many nice things, belongings, and personal effects; with riches, grain, gold, silver, treasure houses, and multitudes of every type of granary; and with many who are near and dear, friends, siblings, kin, servants both male and female, workers, and others to whom wages are paid.
“ ‘And after I eventually take birth there and my faculties ripen, when I have given gifts and made merit, shaved my head and face, donned the colorful religious robes, and with nothing short of perfect faith gone forth from home to live as a mendicant, Lord, if I am then worthy and receive spiritual instruction, may I practice according to the instruction given. In so doing, if I am worthy, it shall be the end of suffering.’
“And I also think to myself, ‘Should I not receive spiritual instruction, then taking birth in divine form, may my faculties not deteriorate, and my faculties be unimpaired, with all limbs and digits and other parts of the body intact, with a fine complexion, and may I be illuminated from within, travel the sky, and partake of delightful food—blessed with delightful food and a long life free of any who would oppose me.’
“Dead, transmigrated, no longer a god,
Now rid of nonhuman life—
After I enter the womb, my ignorance gone,
May the vows please my mind.
“May I never lack for instruction.
Trusting in the way that I’ve been taught,
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Upholding the holy life,
May I take up the practice of going for alms.
“And if worthy, when I then receive
Spiritual instruction, let my comportment be
Just as I have been instructed.
This would be my suffering’s end.
“Should it not come to pass,
Then when my lifespan, worn out, slips away
Let me take birth
As a god of Akaniṣṭha.
“Blessed One, I am a stream enterer. Sugata, I am a stream enterer. It is my hope to one day be a once-returner.”
“Very good, Kauśika, very good!
The good fortune with which you are blessed
The heedful can also achieve.”
Śakra replied:
“That which made me so peaceable,
And brought me stream entry as well,
Belongs only to you, Blessed One,
And only comes from your teaching.
“Its foundation is uncommonly vast—
What place is there, then, for another?
Anything like it accomplished before,
Was not something received from another.
“Lord, as I stand here before you
In the form of a god,
Please, wise one, I request—
Grant that I live long.”
When this Dharma teaching had been explained, Śakra, King of the Gods, and his suite of eighty thousand divine attendants were able to see these things unobscured, with the Dharma vision that has no trace of dust or stain with respect to phenomena. And having seen the truths, Śakra died, transmigrated, and took birth again right where he sat.
The Blessed One knew by touching his body that he had died, transmigrated, and taken rebirth without so much as closing his eyes or disappearing. Śakra, King of the Gods, the young demigoddess Śacī, and the others recognized it too, and the young demigoddess Śacī and the others asked Śakra, King of the Gods, “Kauśika, have you died and taken rebirth?”
“Yes, Śacī,” Śakra replied, “and all of you—I did die, transmigrate, and take rebirth. I acquired an extension of my lifespan right here where I sit.”
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Now Śakra, King of the Gods, having seen the truths, was jubilant, joyous, and glad. Feeling jubilant, joyous, and glad, he rose from his seat, drew down the right shoulder of his upper garment, bowed toward the Blessed One with palms pressed together, and told the Blessed One, “Lord, I have become a noble one. I am a noble one. As I come to you for refuge, please accept me as a lay vow holder from this day forth for as long as I live, for I am happy to the depths of my heart.”
Thereupon Śakra, King of the Gods, said to the young gandharva Pañcaśikha, “My boy, you are a great help and a delight to me. It was you who first admonished me to go see the Blessed One. Pañcaśikha, when we reach the Heaven of the Thirty-Three, I shall give to you in marriage the one for whom you have hoped and wished for so long—Princess Suprabhā, whom her father, the gandharva king Tumburu, calls ‘sweet one’—and you yourself shall assume the throne of your father, lord of the gandharvas.”
Śakra, King of the Gods, then spoke to the gods of the Heaven of the Thirty-Three: “My friends, just as I previously did to Sahāṃpati Brahmā throughout the three times, henceforth I shall bow to the Blessed One in the ways I had reserved for Brahmā. Why? Because the Blessed One himself is Brahmā. He has become Brahmā. He is peace. He is serenity.”
Śakra, King of the Gods, and the other gods touched their heads to the Blessed One’s feet, circumambulated the Blessed One three times, and slowly backed away while continuing to bow down toward the Blessed One. And once he was outside the line of sight, Śakra, King of the Gods, drew down the right shoulder of his upper garment, knelt down on his right knee,
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and said, “I prostrate to the Blessed One, the Tathāgata, the Arhat, the totally and completely awakened Buddha,” and disappeared on the spot.
“Lord,” the monks asked the Blessed Buddha, “what action did Śakra, King of the Gods, take that ripened into his becoming a being of great miracles and great power, and such that he pleased the Blessed One, and did not displease him? Blessed One, what action did the eighty thousand gods take that ripened into their entrusting themselves to Śakra alone, and that they pleased the Blessed One, and did not displease him?”
“It came about by the power of their prayers.” replied the Blessed One.
“When did they make these prayers?”
“Monks,” the Blessed One recounted, “in times past, in this fortunate eon, when people lived as long as forty 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 Krakucchanda was in the world, the totally and completely awakened Buddha Krakucchanda achieved unexcelled wisdom and then traveled to the royal palace known as Śobhāvatī.
“At that time King Śobha built five hundred monasteries with six thousand rooms for the totally and completely awakened Buddha Krakucchanda and offered them to the totally and completely awakened Buddha Krakucchanda and the saṅgha of his disciples. And after King Śobha had provided them with everything they required, he and his suite of eighty thousand attendants put great effort into venerating the totally and completely awakened Buddha Krakucchanda and the saṅgha of his disciples.
“When the totally and completely awakened Buddha
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Krakucchanda had carried out all the activities of a buddha, he passed beyond all sorrow into the realm of nirvāṇa without any remainder of the aggregates. King Śobha performed veneration rites for the relics of the Blessed One, built a reliquary stūpa complete in every respect, made a large offering to the stūpa, and prayed, ‘By this root of virtue, wherever I am born, may I take birth as a god, a prominent god, a lord among the gods. Should I take birth as a human, may it be as a prominent human, the lord of a human kingdom.’
“The king’s servants saw him praying, and asked, ‘Deva, what is the prayer you are making?’ whereupon he related it all in detail.
“As soon as they heard this, they venerated the stūpa and themselves prayed, ‘By this root of virtue, wherever we are born, may it be into families of great means, prosperity, and wealth. Entrusting ourselves to our king alone, may we please and not displease a teacher just like this one.’
“O monks, what do you think? The one who was King Śobha then is none other than Śakra, King of the Gods. The act of venerating the totally and completely awakened Buddha Krakucchanda and the saṅgha of his disciples and saying that prayer ripened into his birth as a god, a prominent god, a lord among gods, and such that when he took rebirth as a human, he became a prominent human, lord of a human kingdom.
“Now that I myself have become the very equal of the totally and completely awakened Buddha Krakucchanda—equal in strength, equal in deeds, and equal in skillful means—
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he has pleased me, and not displeased me.
“Those who were the eighty thousand servants are none other than these eighty thousand gods. The act of venerating the totally and completely awakened Buddha Krakucchanda and the saṅgha of his disciples, and saying that prayer, ripened such that wherever they were born, it was into families of great means, prosperity, and wealth, and that by entrusting themselves to Śakra they pleased me, and did not displease me.”
The King
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.
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 parents died. After their death the young man thought, “According to brahminical custom, one may take a wife after practicing pure conduct for forty-eight years. So I will practice pure conduct for forty-eight years.” He practiced pure conduct for forty-eight years and then took a wife. His wife was well proportioned, pleasing to the eye, and beautiful. But she was also adulterous
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and lustful. Being with her aged husband did not satisfy her desire, and she looked for another man.
One day she thought, “So long as my husband still lives, I’ll have no opportunity to sleep with another man. I will send him to another land.” She said to the brahmin, “Lord, there’s nothing at all in the house. Why did you make me your wife? Let me go back to my parents’ house. At least there I can get food without much trouble.”
The brahmin said, “Sweet one, don’t be sad. We brahmins can subsist just as well on alms. I will go seek riches in another country, then return.” So he departed, leaving his wife a supply of food.
After he arrived in that other land he came into possession of many gold coins, and as he was carrying them back to Śrāvastī, he was robbed by bandits on the road, and suffered greatly. “If I go home, there will be a great falling out with the brahminī. What a source of livelihood have I relinquished! I’ll just walk into the thick of the forest and die.”
So he walked into the thick of the forest intending to hang himself with a rope from a tree. When he halted there, the Blessed One thought, “This brahmin is acting rashly, for he is to go forth in my very doctrine, cast away all afflictive emotions, and manifest arhatship.”
So the Blessed One disappeared from Śrāvastī and traveled to the thick of the forest, where he said to the brahmin, “Brahmin, don’t be rash. I shall give you riches,” and revealed a treasure. “Brahmin, these riches are yours—don’t throw away your precious life.” With those words the Blessed One returned
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to the monastery.
The brahmin returned home bearing riches. The house prospered, and he began to give gifts and make merit. Then the thought occurred to him, “The ascetic Gautama has been beneficial and comforting²¹¹ for me. I will give up living at home to go forth in the presence of the Blessed One.” He gave up household affairs and went to see the Blessed One. Upon his arrival he touched his head to the Blessed One’s feet and sat at one side to listen to the Dharma.
The Blessed One directly apprehended his thoughts, habitual tendencies, temperament, capacity, and nature, and taught him the Dharma accordingly. When he heard it, 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.
After seeing 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 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!” the Blessed One led him to go forth as a novice, conferred on him full ordination, and instructed him. He cast away all afflictive emotions through diligence, practice, and effort, and manifested arhatship.
“Lord,” the monks requested the Blessed Buddha, “tell us why this brahmin, for fear of poverty, was going to kill himself, and the Blessed One presented him with a mountain of riches and established him in the unsurpassed, supreme welfare of nirvāṇa.”
“Not only now,”
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the Blessed One explained, “but in times past as well, and in the same way, for fear of poverty this brahmin was going to kill himself, and I gave him a mountain of riches and set him on the path of the ten virtuous actions. Listen well!
“Monks, it took place in times gone by, during King Mahendrasena’s reign in the city of Vārāṇasī. The kingdom was prosperous, flourishing, happy, and well populated. 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.
“The king was of a loving nature, quite compassionate, loved beings, and delighted in giving. He gave gifts and made merit. He provided for the ascetics, the brahmins, 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 set all his people on the path of the ten virtuous actions and promised, ‘From this day forth I shall give all to beings.’
“He ruled the kingdom in accord with the Dharma, so even nonhuman spirits strove to protect and shelter and shield him. From time to time they let fall streams of rain to make the grain crops flourish.
“One of the king’s neighboring kings reigned unrighteously. He tortured the inhabitants of the country, pillorying them and locking them in wooden stocks. The people were continually subjected to heavy taxes, and in their anxiety
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they fled to live in King Mahendrasena’s country.
“One day, as the neighboring king was traveling about with a great many ministers surveying the countryside, he saw that all the villages, towns, cities, forest settlements, and marketplaces were empty, and he asked the ministers, ‘Ministers, why is it that we have encountered such an empty land?’
“ ‘Deva,’ the ministers replied, ‘Mahendrasena’s country is prosperous, flourishing, happy, and has good harvests, and most who live there have hardly any taxes to pay, so many have left to go live there.’ As soon as the neighboring king heard this he seethed with anger, arrayed the four divisions of his army, and advanced on King Mahendrasena’s country to wage war.
“Now King Mahendrasena heard that the neighboring king, seething, had arrayed the four divisions of his army and advanced on his country to wage war. Hearing this, he instructed his ministers, ‘I don’t dare engage in wrongdoing for just one lifetime’s sake, so if you don’t wish your country ruin, bow down to this neighboring king. I dare not harm him.’ And he said in verse:
“ ‘People concerned about their future lives
Would rather live in the woods, clad in tree bark,
Eating fruit in the midst of carnivorous beasts
Than shackle and kill for the sake of a kingdom.’
“The ministers thought, ‘This king doesn’t dare kill anyone. It’s not right for us all to perish and to suffer over something so pointless. Better that we all leave him behind instead.’ So they left the king behind, allying themselves with the neighboring king. When King Mahendrasena became aware that his ministers had left him behind, he went to live in the forest, and there
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he remained, eating roots and fruit.
“After he had gone, the neighboring king came, assembled the local people, and asked, ‘Where has the king gone?’
“ ‘Deva, he fled,’ the ministers replied. Then the neighboring king brought the country under his control. He divvied up the spoils among the war heroes, laid claim to the kingdom, and remained there.
“Now at that time there lived in a remote mountain village a certain poor brahmin who was destitute of means. Over time he had ever more sons and daughters to feed, and when a famine arose in the land he could not provide for the members of his household. He heard that King Mahendrasena of Vārāṇasī was of a loving nature, quite compassionate, had a love for beings, delighted in giving, and was generous to all. When he heard this he thought, ‘I will seek an audience with him. Perhaps I can get some money from him.’ He went to Vārāṇasī, and there he heard that King Mahendrasena had gone to live in the forest. When the brahmin heard this, he felt greatly worried but thought, ‘If I seek an audience with him there in the forest devoted to austerities, perhaps he’ll bestow riches upon me yet.’
“He traveled to the place where the bodhisattva was living, and approached him. The bodhisattva pleased him with his gentle words, gave him roots and fruit, and asked, ‘Why have you come here?’
“ ‘A famine has struck recently, and I am destitute and unwell,’ said the brahmin. ‘What’s more, I have many children to provide for, and I’m not able to provide for them. I heard that King Mahendrasena gives away all he has, and I thought, “He could be a fountain of riches.” So here I am before you.’
“The bodhisattva said, ‘Did you not hear I’d gone to live in the forest? Where would all my riches be?’
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No sooner had the brahmin heard this than he went senseless with despair and fell to the ground. The bodhisattva threw water on his face to wake him. When he awoke, the brahmin thought, ‘What’s the use of such a life? I will walk into the thick of the forest and die.’ He took up a rope and walked into the thick of the forest, intending to hang himself with the rope from a tree.
“When he halted there, the bodhisattva saw him, and seeing him so, immediately welled up with compassion and thought, ‘If this brahmin takes me to my enemy, he will be rewarded with a mountain of riches.’ So he said to the brahmin, ‘Brahmin, don’t be rash. I will put an end to your poverty. Come, brahmin—bind me tightly²¹² and take me before King So-and-So, and he will give you a mountain of riches.’
“ ‘I could never tie up someone like you,’ the brahmin said.
“ ‘Don’t hesitate,’ said the bodhisattva. ‘Bind me and take me away.’ For he saw no other way.
“ ‘As you wish,’ the brahmin replied. The brahmin bound him tightly and took him to Vārāṇasī, where many people saw and recognized him, but when the people approached the king and informed him, he didn’t believe them. As he was being handed over, the king emerged from the royal palace. He approached the bodhisattva and saw that the brahmin had tightly bound the bodhisattva and brought him there. He asked him, ‘This man—whence did you bring him?’
“ ‘This man,’ he replied, ‘is your enemy, Deva. I overpowered him while he was living in the forest devoted to austerities and brought him here.’
“The king thought, ‘This king’s body is large and powerful, and the brahmin’s body is very weak—how would he have been able to catch him?
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This king is very compassionate, and has love for beings. He must have tied himself up and given himself over to him.’
“Then he said to the brahmin, ‘How did you catch him, brahmin? Tell us the truth.’
“The brahmin told the king everything just as it had been, and as soon as he heard it, the king developed faith and thought, ‘I have done harm to such a pure being!’ He released the bodhisattva immediately, invited him to the royal palace, embraced him, placed him on a lion throne, and restored the crown to him, taking the crown from his own head and placing it on the head of the bodhisattva.
“He said, ‘You are the rightful king! I am not worthy.’ He offered him back the armies and treasure houses, asked his forgiveness, and returned to his own country. Then King Mahendrasena gave the brahmin a mountain of riches and set him on the path of the ten virtuous actions.
“Monks, I am the one who was King Mahendrasena then, and lived the life of a bodhisattva. The one who was that brahmin then is none other than this brahmin. At that time, for fear of poverty he was going to kill himself, and I presented him a mountain of riches and set him on the path of the ten virtuous actions. Now as well, for fear of poverty he was going to kill himself, and I have presented him with a mountain of riches and established him in the unsurpassed, supreme welfare of nirvāṇa.”
The Hunter
As the Blessed One was traveling through Magadha, he arrived in Rājagṛha, where he stayed at the Kalandakanivāsa, in Bamboo Grove. At that time Devadatta had repeatedly wronged many inhabitants of Rājagṛha, and those he had wronged expressed their grievances to the Blessed One.
The Blessed One spoke to Venerable Ānanda,
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saying, “Ānanda, go, don your Dharma robes and patched raiment, take any suitable monk as an assistant, and on the streets and thoroughfares of Rājagṛha, and at the crossroads and forks in the roads, tell the brahmins and householders that there is no longer any need for those who have been wronged by Devadatta or those belonging to Devadatta’s faction to express their grievances to the Buddha, Dharma, or Saṅgha. If they say that Devadatta is a person of great miracles and great power, tell them that while previously he did possess great miraculous ability, he has lost it now.”
Ānanda set out, and on the streets and thoroughfares of Rājagṛha, and at the crossroads and forks in the roads he instructed the brahmins and householders that henceforth they were no longer to express their grievances to the Blessed One.
One day the Blessed One fell ill, and the healer Jīvaka offered the Blessed One a medicinal butter called iron arrow. The Blessed One asked the expert healer, “Jīvaka—wondrous?”
“Wondrous, Blessed One,” he replied.
The Blessed One then asked, “Jīvaka—marvelous?”
“Marvelous, Blessed One,” he replied.
The Blessed One then asked, “Jīvaka—you know?”
“Yes, Blessed One, I do,” he replied.
The Blessed One then asked, “Jīvaka—you don’t know?”
“No, Blessed One, I do not,” he replied.
The Blessed One then asked, “What is it that’s wondrous?”
“Blessed One, cows eat grass and drink water, and from them an elixir is obtained from which the medicinal butter called iron arrow is drawn,” he replied.
The Blessed One then asked, “Jīvaka, what is it that’s marvelous?”
“The emergence of the Blessed One in the world, the teaching of the holy Dharma, and the good accomplishments of the Saṅgha,” he replied.
The Blessed One then asked, “What is it you know?”
“Blessed One, I know that whoever is born
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must certainly die,” he replied.
The Blessed One then asked, “Jīvaka, what is it you don’t know?”
“Blessed One, I don’t know who is going where,” he replied.²¹³
Now all the monks were perplexed, and they requested the Blessed Buddha, who cuts through all doubt, “Lord, tell us why Jīvaka had already realized the intention of the Blessed One’s speech.”
“Not only now,” the Blessed One explained, “but in times past as well, and in the same way, he understood the intention of my speech. Listen well!
“Monks, in times gone by, in a certain mountain village there lived a householder of great means, prosperity, and wealth. 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. For twenty-one days they held an elaborate feast celebrating his birth and named him according to their clan. After that, as they continued enjoying themselves and coupling, another child was born, and again they held an elaborate feast celebrating his birth and named him according to their clan.
“The householder thought, ‘My loans have been paid off and someone to leave my wealth to has been born, so I will load up my wares and go to another country.’ And he thought, ‘My wife is very attractive. If I give her many gold coins before I go, she may enjoy herself and couple with another, so I will give her just a few gold coins before I go.’ He gave her just a few gold coins, and what gold was left he put into jars. He tied the necks of those jars with garlands of pearls and hid them in the cremation ground at the trunk of an aśvakarṇa tree. Then he loaded up his wares and went to another country.
34.21
“After turning a great profit in the other country he married there as well, and as he stayed on there his new wife gave birth to many children. His former wife, Bracelet, did her best to raise her two sons on what she could earn with her own hands²¹⁴ or with a little help from her relatives.²¹⁵
“When her sons asked, ‘Where did our father go?’ she told them, ‘He is living in such-and-such a country at such-and-such a place. They say he has a great abundance of wealth. Go there—perhaps he’ll even provide you some small living.’
“So the elder of the two went off to find his father. He wandered about this way and that until in time he came to where his father was. His father recognized his features and called out to him, ‘Where are you from? Where are you going?’ The elder son related everything in detail. His father thought, ‘This is none other than my own son,’ and put him up in his home. He told him, ‘My son, don’t let anyone know I am your father,’ but went on to show him great affection.
“His other sons, suspicious, asked, ‘To whom does this boy belong, Father?’
“ ‘He’s the son of a friend,’ their father replied.
“ ‘He has such deep affection for him,’ they thought. ‘There’s no doubt that’s his own son.’ And they said to one another, ‘That’s our elder brother!’
“Their father thought, ‘Among enemies, there’s none more wicked than a stepmother. I will send him back before she comes to kill him. If I give him even something small, because she is so confrontational, she will kill him on the way. I must send him back!’
“He gave the boy a letter he had written that said, ‘If you dig with great care and skill beneath the karṇa tree—the one that moves quickly from village to village—that is about a yojana east of home, you’ll find the very same inheritance you requested from me. Present Bracelet with what’s around its neck.’
34.22
“The boy took the letter and departed. On the way his younger brothers seized him on the road and demanded, ‘What did you get from Father?’
“ ‘I didn’t get anything from him,’ he said. ‘He just gave me this letter.’
“ ‘You see, Father has deceived us,’ they complained. ‘Get out of here!’
“With that they released him, and in time he came to his house. He rested for a bit, and after he had been there for some time, his mother asked, ‘What did you get from your father?’
“ ‘I didn’t get anything from him,’ her son replied, ‘except I did get this letter.’
“ ‘Boy, your father deceived you,’ his mother said, ‘and you’ve got nothing to show for your trouble.’
“ ‘This is a big country. He didn’t cheat me,’ her son said, and he began to examine the letter. ‘ “From village” refers to where he was born. That’s what he means here by “village.” “To village” refers to where he’ll be disposed of, a charnel ground. The “quickly” in “the one that moves quickly” refers to a horse, and the “karṇa tree” means the aśvakarṇa tree—thus, the letter means “the trunk of the aśvakarṇa tree.” “East of home” means eastward, and “about a yojana away” means exactly that: one yojana away.’
“After analyzing the words in this manner, that night, when no one was about, he went to the charnel ground. Nearby stood the aśvakarṇa tree. Orienting himself to the east, he dug to the depth of a wooden yoke. After a while he discovered a golden jug with a garland of pearls strung around its neck. Elated, he hauled it up, and when he got back home he loosed the garland of pearls and presented it to his mother, Bracelet.
“O monks, what do you think? I am the one who was that householder then. The one who was my son then is none other than Jīvaka. There he understood the intention of my speech. Now as well he has understood the intention of my speech.”
34.23
Jīvaka thought, “The Blessed One has an adamantine body, and since his body is so large he can’t be cured with just a little medicinal butter.” So he did the calculations, measured out thirty-two ounces of medicinal butter, and offered it for the Blessed One’s body. What was left in the alms bowl he gave to the monks, who thought, “These are the leftovers from the Blessed One’s alms bowl,” and all drank of it.
Devadatta thought, “I will also drink this medicinal butter.” So he asked Jīvaka, “Jīvaka, how much of this medicinal butter did the ascetic Gautama drink?”
“He consumed thirty-two ounces,” said Jīvaka.
Devadatta said, “Then I too will take thirty-two ounces.”
“The Blessed One has an adamantine body, and his body is very large,” Jīvaka replied. “You can’t digest as much medicinal butter as he can.”
“I’ve got an adamantine body too. Why can’t I digest it?” With that he too drank thirty-two ounces of medicinal butter, and while the Blessed One had digested it, Devadatta could not.
The next day Jīvaka again offered the Blessed One the medicinal butter, together with rice soup. Because the Blessed One had taken it, out of pride Devadatta likewise drank the medicinal butter together with the rice soup, but again he could not digest it and was wracked with pain. Stricken with illness all through his vital organs, he suffered the most severe, unbearable, scorching, awful pains, and he could not sleep day or night.
Venerable Ānanda loved his brother,²¹⁶ so he brought the news to the Blessed One. The Blessed One reached his hands—which are like mighty elephant trunks, covered with insignias such as wheels, auspicious designs, and swastikas that are the result of hundreds upon hundreds of meritorious deeds
34.24
and provide assurance from all fear—across Vulture Peak Mountain, placed them on Devadatta’s head, and invoked the truth, saying, “By the truth that I hold Devadatta to be neither more nor less than my only son—the good and beautiful Rāhula—may his illness be assuaged.” That invocation of the truth alone instantly cured Devadatta’s illness, and he regained the life that had been drained from him.
He saw the Blessed One’s hand, recognized it, and thought, “This is the ascetic Gautama’s hand.” Though it was by the greatness of the Buddha that his sickness had abated, Devadatta’s arrogance about all his deceit and trickery had smothered and held sway over his thoughts for so long that even now he said, “You have studied medicine well, Siddhārtha. Maybe with that you can finally earn a living.”
The disciples who had gathered there started to spread the word, “Devadatta had fallen severely ill and was going to die, but the Blessed One’s invocation of the truth healed him.” When they heard this, even the members of Devadatta’s faction expressed their admiration for the Blessed One and said, “His love is absolute! How he has cultivated compassion for beings!”
Then the monks said to Devadatta, “The Blessed One healed you, Devadatta. Otherwise you would already be dead.”
“He knows tricks to turn the mind about,” Devadatta said. “That’s how he’s pacifying the whole world.” And he neither repaid his kindness nor felt any love for him.
After he had gone, the monks went to see the Blessed One, and upon their arrival, perplexed, they requested the Blessed Buddha, who cuts through all doubt, “Lord, tell us why Devadatta did not repay your kindness, had no sense of gratitude, and made a waste of what you did.”
34.25
“Not only now,” the Blessed One explained, “but in times past as well, and in the same way, he did not repay my kindness, had no sense of gratitude, and made a waste of what I did. Listen well!
“Monks, it took place in times gone by, during King Mahendrasena’s reign in Videha. At that time in a certain forest there was a well, and into this well five beings fell: a man, a lion, a snake, a mouse, and a hawk. A certain hunter was also in the forest, on the hunt for deer. Stricken with thirst he went to the well, and when the five saw him peeking into the well they immediately cried out, ‘Help us, friend!’
“The hunter felt compassion for them as soon as he saw them, and he thought, ‘If I don’t pull them out, they will all die there,’ so he came bearing a rope and drew them all up out of the well.
“Another day the hunter was out hunting deer, and as he was walking in the forest, the lion, king of beasts, saw him, and asked the hunter, ‘My friend, why are you wandering through this forest?’
“ ‘I’m wandering through here to hunt deer,’ the hunter replied. ‘That’s my livelihood.’
“ ‘Don’t trouble yourself, my friend,’ said the lion. ‘I want to return your favor. If you stay here, every day I shall kill all the good deer and give you as much meat as you like.’ After that, every day the lion, king of beasts, went and killed all the best deer, and brought the man a great deal of meat.
“Another day, the hawk saw the hunter carrying the deer meat home. Recognizing him, the hawk asked the hunter, ‘Do you earn your livelihood by toiling so, my friend?’
34.26
“ ‘This is my livelihood,’ replied the hunter. ‘This is what I do to support myself.’
“The hawk thought, ‘This man once saved my life. I need to return the favor,’ and said, ‘My friend, stay here. I shall put your poverty to an end,’ and departed.
“After that the hawk went to the area surrounding the royal palace. He thought, ‘Whatever I get today I’ll carry back and give to him.’ As he was flying through the sky, he saw all the jewelry belonging to the most revered of King Mahendrasena’s queens on the roof of the royal palace, where she had loaded it into a basket. As she sat there washing her hair, the hawk took all the jewelry and brought it to the hunter.
“As the hunter was carrying the jewelry back to his house, the man saw him and asked, ‘My friend, where did you find that?’
“ ‘The hawk gave it to me,’ said the hunter, and he returned to his house.
“Soon after, King Mahendrasena ordered all the bird keepers, ‘Go through all the birds’ nests and bring me back that jewelry.’ When the man heard this, he thought, ‘Even though it’s not quite right of me since that man pulled me from a well twice,²¹⁷ I will go and tell the king. Perhaps he will give me a reward.’
“He went to the king and said, ‘So-and-so the hunter has made off with Deva’s jewelry.’ After he heard this King Mahendrasena immediately gave the man a great reward, summoned the hunter, seized the ornaments, and put him in prison.
“While he was in prison, the mouse saw him, and recognized him. He thought, ‘That’s the man who saved my life! I will return the favor,’ and said to him, ‘My friend, for what offense have they put you in prison?’ The man related everything in detail.
34.27
“ ‘Trust me, my friend’ the mouse said. “Be strong. I shall make sure you don’t lack for food and drink while you’re here.’ So the mouse made sure he did not lack for food and drink while he was in prison.
“Later, while the man was still in prison, the poisonous snake thought, ‘He saved my life. I will return the favor.’ So he said to the man, ‘Listen, man—once I rescue you from this prison, I shall make you a wealthy lord.’ And then he said, ‘I will bite the king with my venom, my venom will render him powerless, and then you should say from your prison cell, “No one else can heal the king, only I can heal him.”
“ ‘When the king summons you, go there, make a circle of cow dung, build a fire, and recite this mantra. I will come when I hear your voice. Then you say, “Either you jump into the fire or take your venom from the king!” And I will say to you, “I will jump in the fire then, for I shall not take my venom from the king!” Then you say, “You have already thrown away your own life, but you will not take the life of our king. It would be dishonorable of you not to take your venom from our king!” Then at your command I will take my venom from the king. The king will then be happy with you, release you from prison, and grant you a mountain of riches.’
“So the poisonous snake went and bit the king with his venom, and it rendered the king powerless. The hunter told the prison guards, ‘No one else can remove this venom from the king, but I can remove the venom from him.’ The prison guards relayed this to the king.
34.28
“The king summoned the man and said, ‘Listen, man—if you save my life I shall give you a mountain of riches.’ And the man said, ‘Please trust me, Deva. Be strong. As long as I live, you will not pass away.’
“Then the man made a circle of cow dung, built a fire, and recited the mantra. The poisonous snake heard him, approached the circle, and stayed put. Then the man said to him, ‘Here you are! You have two choices—either remove your venom from the king or jump into the fire.’
“The poisonous snake replied, ‘Of the two choices, I will jump, so the king will have to die.’
“The poisonous snake advanced and waited, and to turn him away the man said, ‘You have already thrown away your own life, but you will not take the life of our king. For it would be dishonorable of you not to take your venom from our king.’ No sooner had the poisonous snake heard this than he took his venom from the king. Then the king, in happiness, loaded up a mountain of riches and gave them to the hunter.
“O monks, what do you think? I am the one who was that hunter then, and lived the life of a bodhisattva. The man who informed the king then²¹⁸ is none other than Devadatta. Then, just as now, he did not repay my kindness or have a sense of gratitude, but made a waste of what I did.”
The Story of Deluded
When²¹⁹ the Blessed One was in Śrāvastī, in Śūrpāraka there lived a certain householder. 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
Linked texts (1)
- ལས་བརྒྱ་ཐམ་པ་པ — Classical Tibetan