Pramāṇa · Search · About · API

Early Monastic Buddhism v1.c14.s10: Anga

Early Monastic Buddhism v1.c14.s10

Language
English

Contents

Anga

v1.c14.s10.1

In the Buddhist texts Aṅga is compounded with Magadha as Kāsi with Kosala. On the basis of the Buddhist tradition it is now generally accepted as a historical fact that Aṅga became subject to Magadha as much as Kāsi to Kosala in the 6th or 5th century B.C. The fight between the kings of Aṅga and Magadha is graphically described in the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Sarvāstivādins⁴ with the ultimate victory of Bimbisāra, the king of Magadha. Culturally there was little difference between Aṅga and Magadha, for, it was as much non-brāhmanic as Magadha. In the Vedic literature it is condemned as a country unfit for sacrifices and bad enough to be a place whither the fevers should be driven away from the *Brahmarṣi-deśa*.¹ Brāhmanism, therefore, was not wholly absent from Aṅga for there were brāhmaṇa teachers, names of two of whom are preserved in the Buddhist texts. Its capital Campā was one of the important centres of Buddhism and a large portion of the province was included within the Buddhist *majjhima-desa*, the eastern limit of which was Kajaṅgala, situated 66 miles to the east of Campā.²

v1.c14.s10.2

⁴ See IHQ, 1938, p. 212-3; Jātaka, IV, p. 454.

v1.c14.s10.3

¹ *Śatapatha-Brāhmaṇa*, I, 4, 1; *Atharva Veda*, V, 22, 14.

v1.c14.s10.4

² For identification, see Cunningham's *Ancient Geography* (2nd ed), pp. xliii, 548, 723; *JRAS*., 1904.

Brāhmanism

v1.c14.s10.t1.1

The brāhmaṇa teachers mentioned in the Nikāyas are Soṇadaṇḍa of C a m p ā³ and Pārāsariya of K a j a ṅ g a l a.⁴ Soṇadaṇḍa maintained three hundred students with a permanent source of income granted to him by Bimbisāra. There were at Campā many brāhmaṇa gahapatis who respected Soṇadaṇḍa and resented his visit to Buddha, but they changed their mind on hearing that Bimbisāra, Pasenadi and Pokkharasādi had already become lay-devotees of Buddha. Soṇadaṇḍa argued with Buddha about the qualities that make a brāhmaṇa and was ultimately silenced by him. The brāhmaṇa gahapatis accompanying Soṇadaṇḍa were not all very respectful to Buddha, for there were among them some who just announced their name and gotta and did not show him the usual courtesies.⁵ After the disputation, Soṇadaṇḍa expressed his faith in Buddha, Dhamma and Saṅgha. At Kajaṅgala lived the Pārāsariya brāhmaṇa, one of whose disciples (*antevāsī*) was Uttara. Buddha had a talk with Uttara about his teacher's views on the control of sense-organs, and this he made an occasion for imparting a discourse to Ānanda on the methods of *indriyabhāvanā*.¹ Buddha's missionary activities within Aṅga seem to have been limited, and there was also not much of opposition to the propagation of the new religion. On more than one occasion Buddha had been to Aṅga and dwelt at C a m p ā, Ā p a n a, A s s a p u r a, and K a j a ṅ g a l a.

v1.c14.s10.t1.2

³ *Dīgha*, I, pp. 111 ff.

v1.c14.s10.t1.3

⁴ *Majjhima*, III, p. 298.

v1.c14.s10.t1.4

⁵ *Dīgha*, I, p. 118.

v1.c14.s10.t1.5

¹ *Majjhima*, III, p. 298.

Campā

v1.c14.s10.t2.1

Campā said to have been built by Mahāgovinda,² was the capital of Aṅga. There was in it a famous lake named after its queen called Gaggarāpokkharaṇī, on the banks of which the paribbājakas³ as also Buddha with his disciples resided from time to time. Conversion of Sonadaṇḍa brāhmaṇa took place here as also of several other householders,⁴ of whom the names of Pessa-hatthārohaputta and Vajjiyamāhita are specially mentioned. Pessa was a great admirer of the spiritual exercises and though a householder tried to practise the *satipaṭṭhānas*,⁵ while Vajjiya was praised by Buddha for his insight into the Buddhist dhamma, enabling him to silence those paribbājakas who spoke ill of Buddha in his presence.⁶ The only notable bhikkhu of Campā known to us is Soṇa Koḷivisa, who was the son of Usabheṭṭhi.⁷

v1.c14.s10.t2.2

² *Digha*, II, p. 235.

v1.c14.s10.t2.3

³ *Samyutta*, V, p. 189; *Majjhima*, I, p. 339.

v1.c14.s10.t2.4

⁴ *Campeyyakā upāsakā*, *Kajaṅgalā upāsakā*, see *Majjhima*, III, p. 298; *Aṅguttara*, IV, p. 59.

v1.c14.s10.t2.5

⁵ *Majjhima*, I, p. 340: *kāyānupassanā vedanānupassanā cittānupassanā* and *dhammānupassanā*.

v1.c14.s10.t2.6

⁶ *Aṅguttara*, V, pp. 189-192.

v1.c14.s10.t2.7

⁷ *Psalms of the Brethren*, p. 135; *Mahāvagga*, v, 1: it was on

v1.c14.s10.t2.8

Buddha came across a few paribbājakas at Campā. Names of two only have come down to us. One is Uttiya paribbājaka¹ who tried to elicit from Buddha answers to the indeterminable problems but as usual failed in his effort, and the other is Kandaraka,² who merely expressed his admiration for Buddha but did not discuss any doctrine with him.

v1.c14.s10.t2.9

¹ Aṅguttara, V, p. 193.

v1.c14.s10.t2.10

² Majjhima, II, p. 339.

Assapura

v1.c14.s10.t3.1

Buddha visited Assapura in Aṅga but no mention is made of having converted any person there. He delivered the two Assapurasuttas,³ in both of which he discussed what made a true Samaṇa and gave his own programme of mental and physical disciplinary practices for becoming a Samaṇa.

v1.c14.s10.t3.2

³ Ibid., I, p. 271 f., 281 f.

Āpana

v1.c14.s10.t4.1

Āpana is described in the Majjhima Nikāya⁴ as Aṅguttara-pānam nigamo and in the Saṃyutta Nikāya⁵ as Aṅgānam nigamo. At Āpana Buddha converted a distinguished householder called Potaliya by explaining to him the ethical principles of Buddhism and asserting that Buddha’s teaching went beyond vohāra (usage).⁶ Three other discourses were delivered here, dealing with faith (saddhā), desires (kāmaguṇa), meditation (jhānas), etc.⁷

v1.c14.s10.t4.2

⁴ Ibid, I, p. 359.

v1.c14.s10.t4.3

⁵ Saṃyutta, V, p. 225.

v1.c14.s10.t4.4

⁶ Majjhima, I, p. 359 f.

v1.c14.s10.t4.5

⁷ Majjhima, I, p. 447; Suttanipāta, p. 102 f.; Saṃyutta, V, p. 225.

v1.c14.s10.t4.6

account of the very delicate feet of the bhikkhu Soṇa Koḷivisa that the rule of using shoes by the bhikkhus came to be introduced.

Kajangala

v1.c14.s10.t5.1

Kajangala, the easternmost limit of the Buddhist *majjhima-desa*, was visited by Buddha on one or two occasions.¹ The conversion of Uttara mānava described above took place here. There were also a few lay-devotees and a bhikkhunī called Kajangala.²

v1.c14.s10.t5.2

¹ It is mentioned in the *Saṃyutta Nikāya* (V, pp. 89, 168, 169) that the easternmost place visited by Buddha in the course of his missionary tour was Setaka, a nigama of Suhma in Rāḍha.

v1.c14.s10.t5.3

² *Majjhima*, III, p. 298.

Cites (10)