History and Doctrines of the Ajivikas: A Vanished Indian Religion c13.s2.7

c13.s2.7

The heretics were delighted at the news, thinking that the cessation of Buddhist miracles would leave them masters of the field. But their hopes were dashed when they heard that the Buddha had told King Bimbisāra that his injunction was binding on the *bhikkhus* only, and not on himself, and that if the heretics attempted to display their powers he too would perform a miracle. He further declared that in four months’ time he would give such a performance at Sāvatthi. The heretics decided to pursue him unremittingly, in the hope of shaking his equanimity and thus weakening his magic powers. They followed him to Sāvatthi, and there obtained from their disciples one hundred thousand pieces of money, with which they erected a pavilion. King Pasenadi offered to have a similar pavilion erected for the Buddha, but he refused, stating that he had a pavilion-builder, and would perform his miracle under the mango tree of Gaṇḍa, the King’s gardener. The heretics, hearing of his promise, uprooted all the mango trees for a league around.