The History of Buddhist Thought c19.54

c19.54

All the Vinaya narratives are pure legend except where suttas happen to be quoted. The most extensive of the narratives is the *Mahāparinibbāna-sutta* (Dīgha, ii, 72). This is properly a legend, not a discourse at all. The only reason why it is among the suttas is that so many discourses in it are given as being uttered by Buddha at different stages of his journey.³ As has been pointed out (p. 29), M. Finot considers it to have been continuous with the legend of the first two Councils in the appendix to the Vinaya.⁴ It tells of Buddha’s journey from Rājagaha to Vesālī and his keeping Retreat there. At the end of Retreat (i.e. in October after the rains) he prophesied his attainment of Nirvāṇa in three months. He then went on by stages to Kusinārā,¹ where his death took place between two sāla trees. These data imply that it took place at the end of December, and this agrees with the statement that the sāla trees were in flower out of season. Later tradition, however, places the day on the full-moon day of the month Vesākha (April–May), which was also the day of his birth and enlightenment.