The Biographical Scripture of King Aśoka

THE BIOGRAPHICAL SCRIPTURE
OF KING ASOKA
Translated from the Chinese of Samghapala
(Taishö, Volume 50, Number 2043)
by
Li Rongxi
Numata Center
for Buddhist Translation and Research
1993
© 1993 by Bukkyo Dendo Kyokai and Numata Center
for Buddhist Translation and Research
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored
in a retrieval system, or transcribed in any form or by any means—
electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—
without the prior written permission of the publisher.
First Printing, 1993
ISBN: 0-9625618-4-3
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 92-082067
Published by
Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and Research
2620 Warring Street
Berkeley, California 94704
Printed in the United States of America
A Message on the Publication of
the English Tripitaka
The Buddhist canon is said to contain eighty-four thousand
different teachings. I believe that this is because the Buddha’s
basic approach was to prescribe a different treatment for every
spiritual ailment, much as a doctor prescribes a different medicine
for every medical ailment. Thus his teachings were always appropriate for the particular suffering individual and for the time
at which the teaching was given, and over the ages not one of his
prescriptions has failed to relieve the suffering to which it was
addressed.
Ever since the Buddha’s Great Demise over twenty-five hundred
years ago, his message of wisdom and compassion has spread
throughout the world. Yet no one has ever attempted to translate
the entire Buddhist canon into English throughout the history of
Japan. It is my greatest wish to see this done and to make the
translations available to the many English-speaking people who
have never had the opportunity to learn about the Buddha’s
teachings.
Of course, it would be impossible to translate all of the
Buddha’s eighty-four thousand teachings in a few years. I have,
therefore, had one hundred thirty-nine of the scriptural texts
in the prodigious Taisho edition of the Chinese Buddhist canon
selected for inclusion in the First Series of this translation
project.
It is in the nature of this undertaking that the results are
bound to be criticized. Nonetheless, I am convinced that unless
someone takes it upon himself or herself to initiate this project, it
will never be done. At the same time, I hope that an improved,
revised edition will appear in the future.
It is most gratifying that, thanks to the efforts of more
than a hundred Buddhist scholars from the East and the West,
this monumental project has finally gotten off the ground. May the
rays of the Wisdom of the Compassionate One reach each and
every person in the world.
August 7, 1991
NUMATAYehan
Founder of the English
Tripitaka Project
Editorial Foreword
In January, 1982, Mr. NUMATA Yehan, the founder of the Bukkyo
Dendo Kyokai (Society for the Promotion of Buddhism), decided to
begin the monumental task of the complete translation of the
Taisho edition of the Chinese Buddhist canon into the English
language. Under his leadership, a special preparatory committee
was organized in April, 1982, and by July of the same year the
Translation Committee of the English Tripitaka (Scriptures) was
officially convened.
The initial Committee consisted of the following thirteen members: HANAYAMA Shoyu (Chairman); Ba n d 5 Shojun; ISHIGAMI
Zenno; KAMATA Shigeo; KANAOKA Shuyu; MAYEDA Sengaku;
NARA Yasuaki; SAYEKI Shinko; (late) SHIOIRI Ryotatsu; TAMARU
Noriyoshi; (late)TAMURA Kwansei; URYUZU Ryushin; and YUYAMA
Akira. Assistant members of the Committee were as follows:
KANAZAWA Atsushi; W atanabe Shogo; Rolf Giebel of New Zealand;
and Rudy Smet of Belgium.
Holding planning meetings on a monthly basis, the Committee
has selected one hundred thirty-nine scriptures and texts for the
First Series of translations, an estimated one hundred printed
volumes in all. Scriptures and texts selected are not necessarily
limited to those originally written in India but also include works
written or composed in China or Japan. All the volumes in the First
Series are scheduled for publication within the twentieth century.
While the publication of the First Series proceeds, the scriptures and
texts for the Second Series, which is expected to be published in the
following ten- or twenty-year period, will be selected from among the
remaining works; this process will continue until all the scriptures
and texts, in Japanese as well as in Chinese, have been published.
Frankly speaking, it will take perhaps one hundred years
or more to accomplish the English translation of the complete

Chinese and Japanese scriptures and texts, which consist of thousands of works. Nevertheless, as Mr. NUMATA wished, it is the sincere hope of the Committee that this project will continue unto
completion, even after all its present members have passed away.
It must be mentioned here that the final object of this project
is not academic fulfillment but the transmission of the teaching of
the Buddha to the whole world in order to create harmony and
peace among mankind.
More than eighty Buddhist scholars in the West and in the
East, all well qualified to be translators of the Chinese and
Japanese scriptures and texts, have agreed to translate certain
selected works. It is really a great pleasure for the Committee to
announce that more than forty-five translations have already been
received as of the end of September, 1992.
The present members of the Translation Committee of the
BDK English Tripitaka are HANAYAMA Shoyu (Chairman); BANDO
Shojun; ISHIGAMI Zenno; ICHISHIMA Shoshin; KAMATA Shigeo;
KANAOKA Shuyu; MAYEDA Sengaku; NARA Yasuaki; SAYEKI
Shinko; TAMARU Noriyoshi; URYUZU Ryushin; and YUYAMA Akira.
Assistant members are WATANABE Shogo and SUZUKI Koshin.
Commemorating the ninety-fourth birthday of Mr. NUMATA
Yehan, the Committee published the following three texts in a
limited edition in April, 1991:
(1) The Lotus Sutra (Taisho No. 262)
(2) The Sutra on Upasaka Precepts (Taisho No. 1488)
(3) The Summary of the Great Vehicle (Taisho No. 1593)
In December, 1991, the Publication Committee headed by Prof.
Philip Yampolsky was organized. New editions of the above volumes and the remaining texts will be published under the supervision of this Committee.
HANAYAMA Shdyu
Chairman
Translation Committee of
September 10, 1992 the BDK English Tripitaka
Publisher’s Foreword
It was in December, 1991, at the Numata Center for Buddhist
Translation and Research in Berkeley, California, that a publication committee was established for the purpose of seeing into
print the translations of the Chinese and Japanese Buddhist
works in the BDK English Tripitaka Series. This committee
will perform the duties of copyediting, formatting, proofreading,
indexing, consulting with the translators on questionable passages, and so on—the routine duties of any publishing house.
Represented on the committee are specialists in Sanskrit, Chinese, and Japanese, who will attempt to ensure that fidelity to the
texts is maintained.
This Publication Committee is dedicated to the production of
lucid and readable works that will do justice to the vision of
Mr. NUMATA Yehan in his desire to make available to Western
readers the major works of the Chinese and Japanese Buddhist
canon.
“Taisho” refers to the Taisho Shinshu Daizokyo (Newly Revised Tripitaka Inaugurated in the Taisho Era), which was published during the period from 1924 to 1934. This consists of one
hundred volumes, in which as many as 3,360 scriptures in both
Chinese and Japanese are included. This edition is acknowledged
to be the most complete Tripitaka of the Northern tradition of
Buddhism ever published in the Chinese and Japanese languages.
The series number on the spine and title page of each volume
will correspond to the number assigned to the work by the Translation Committee of the BDK English Tripitaka in Tokyo. A list of
the volume numbers is appended at the end of the text. For the
convenience of scholars who may wish to turn to the original texts,
Taisho page and column numbers are provided in the left-hand
margins of each volume. No attempt will be made to standardize
the English translations of Buddhist technical terms; these are left
to the discretion of the individual translators.
Those participating in the work of this committee are Diane
Ames, William Ames, Brian Galloway, David Hall, Nobuo Haneda,
and Rev. Seishin Yamashita.
Philip Yampolsky
Chairman
September 10, 1992 Publication Committee

Contents
A Message on the Publication of the English Tripitaka
N umata Yehan v
Editorial Foreword HANAYAMA Shôyü vii
Publisher’s Foreword Philip Yampolsky ix
Translator’s Introduction Li Rongxi 1
Chapter I The Causes of His Birth 3
Chapter II The Causes of Seeing Upagupta 21
Chapter III The Causes of Making Offerings to the
Bodhi Tree 39
The Causes of Vitasoka
Chapter IV The Causes of Kunàla 63
Chapter V The Causes of Offering Half an Am ra
Fruit to the Sangha 81
Chapter VI The Causes of the Buddha’s Prediction
Concerning Upagupta 91
Chapter VII The Causes of the Transmission of the
Dharma-pitaka by the Five Disciples of
the Buddha 107
The Causes of Kâsyapa; The Causes of
Ânanda; The Causes of Madhyàntika;
The Causes of Sânakavâsin; The Causes
of Upagupta; The Causes of
Sànakavâsin’s Attainment of the Way
Chapter VIII The Causes of Upagupta’s Disciples 147
The Causes of the Son of a Tigress; The
Causes of Gorasa; The Causes of a
Southern Indian; The Causes of a
Northern Indian; The Causes of
Devaraksita; The Causes of the
Brahman with the View That the Ego Is
Real; The Causes of Sleepiness; The
Causes of the Provisor; The Causes ofthe Artisan; The Causes of Food and
Drink; The Causes of Contentment with
Few Desires; The Causes of the
Ràksasas; The Causes of the Tree; The
Causes of a Miser; The Causes of the
Ghost; The Causes of Being Bitten by
Vermin; The Causes of Contemplation
on a Skeleton; The Causes of Avarice;
The Causes of a Bamboo Brush; The
Causes of Parental Sentiment; The
Causes of the River; The Causes of a
Whim in Meditation; The Causes of the
Cowherds; The Causes of the
Transformed Person; The Causes of
Taking No Delight in the Dwelling
Place; The Causes of a Monk’s Pewter
Staff; The Causes of Sudarsana; The
Causes of the Fief for a Monastery; The
Causes of Dhitika
Glossary
Index
A List of the Volumes of the BDK English Tripitaka
(First Series)
xii
185
189
195

Translator’s Introduction
In the Chinese Tripitaka there are two texts giving legendary
accounts of the life of King Asoka (reigned ca. 265-238 B.C.E. or ca.
273-232 B.C.E.), the third Maurya ruler of Magadha. He was the
grandson of Candragupta, the founder of the Maurya dynasty
(321-184 B.C.E.), which had its capital at Pataliputra. The first of
the texts is the A-yu-wang-zhuan (Asokavadana) or Biography of
King Asoka (Taisho No. 2042), translated into Chinese in seven
fascicles by An Faqin, a monk from Anxi (Parthia), who came to
Luo-yang in the second year of Tai-kang (281 C.E.) during the reign
of Emperor Wu of the Western Jin dynasty. The second text is
Samghapala’s Chinese translation (512 C.E.) of the A-yu-wang-jing
(Asokarajasutra) or Sutra of King Asoka (T. No. 2043) in ten
fascicles, upon which the present English translation is based.
In spite of the legendary style of the presentation, this biographical work, of which the original Sanskrit text is little known,
gives accounts of the major events in the life of King Asoka that
are historically verifiable through comparative studies of reliable
written records and archaeological findings. Although the exact
date of the original text is unascertainable, it may be said that it
was composed no earlier than 184 B.C.E., when the Maurya dynasty
collapsed, because this event is mentioned in the work.
In this work the last king of the Maurya dynasty is given as
Pusyamitra, but according to Brahmanical accounts Pusyamitra
was the name of a general of King Brhaddhanus, the last monarch
of that dynasty. This general Pusyamitra is said to have killed the
king, usurped the throne, and founded the Sunga dynasty in
184 B.C.E.
Besides recounting the major events in the life of King Asoka,
this work devotes half of its space to stories concerning the six
patriarchs who succeeded the Buddha in transmitting the Dharma:
Mahakasyapa, Ananda, Madhyantika, Sanakavasin, Upagupta,
and Dhitika. It also includes some other stories for the elucidation
of the Dharma. Dhitika is unknown to Southern Buddhism and
may be looked upon as a hint of the Mahayanist tendency of this
work; this hint is enhanced by a sort of short dharani (incantation)
in Chinese transliteration in Chapter VIII (which has been
restored to the nearest possible romanized Sanskrit by my friend
Professor Wu Baihui of the Institute of Philosophy of the Chinese
Academy of Social Sciences).
Samghapala (459-524 C.E.), the translator of the Chinese version of the A-yu-wang-jing, was a monk from the kingdom of
Funan (in the eastern part of present-day Thailand), who came to
China during the Qi dynasty (479-501 C.E.) and stayed at Zhengguan Monastery in the capital, where he studied Mahayana texts
under the Indian monk Gunabhadra and “mastered the languages
of several countries” (see Continued Biographies of Eminent
Monks, Fasc. I, T. No. 2060). When Emperor Wu of the Liang
dynasty came to power, he invited Samghapala in the fifth year of
Tian-jian (506 C.E.) to translate Buddhist texts into Chinese. In the
course of the subsequent seventeen years, he translated eleven
Buddhist texts into Chinese, making a total of forty-eight fascicles,
including the A-yu-wang-jing and the Vimuktimarga, with the
assistance of Chinese Buddhist monks and lay scholars under
imperial patronage. In the fifth year of Pu-tong (524 C.E.), he died
of illness at the age of sixty-five at Zheng-guan Monastery.
Li Rongxi
Beijing
June 5, 1987

Chapter I
The Causes of His Birth
131b The Buddha was once staying at Bamboo Grove Monastery in
Kalandaka’s garden near Rajagrha. One day he rose early, dressed
himself in his robe, and, with a group of bhiksus (mendicants),
carried his alms bowl to the city of Rajagrha to collect alms. At that
moment, a gatha (stanza) was heard in the air:
The Buddha’s body is like a golden mountain,
Walking with the gait of an elephant king.
So serene and dignified are his features,
His face resembles the full moon.
Surrounded by a group of bhiksus,
He is proceeding to the city.
When the World-honored One had just stepped on the threshold of
the gate while he was entering the city, there occurred various
miraculous events: the blind recovered their sight, the deaf gained
their hearing, the dumb could speak, and the paralyzed could
walk; those who were confined in prisons gained liberty and those
who bore grudges and hatred became merciful; calves were released
spontaneously from their tethers and returned to their mothers;
all animals—elephants, horses, cows, and so on—trumpeted,
neighed, and mooed aloud with great delight; all birds—parrots,
mynas, cuckoos, peacocks, and the like—caroled merrily in concord; all ornaments—rings, bracelets, hairpins, earrings, and all
kinds of precious things—clinked melodiously of themselves in
their cases; and all musical instruments sounded naturally. At
that moment, the earth became clean of itself, free of all sorts
of filth, debris, rubble, brambles, and poisonous plants; and it
quaked in six ways—when the east rose up the west sank down,
when the west rose up the east sank down, when the south rose up
the north sank down, when the north rose up the south sank down,
when the center rose up the four sides sank down, when the four
sides rose up the center sank down, and it all rolled round and
round. Such were the wonderful and extraordinary events that
happened then. At that moment, another stanza was heard from
the air:
The whole earth depends
On the four seas,
With the countries, cities, and mountains
As its ornaments.
When the World-honored One trod on the earth,
It quaked in six ways,
Like a boat upon the seas
Blown by a blast of wind.
When the Buddha entered the city, his divine powers caused
i3 ic all the people to dance with delight, like water in the great
sea agitated by the wind. All the people uttered the following
stanza:
Of all pleasures in this world,
None surpasses that of the Buddha entering the country.
When the earth quakes in six ways,
All rubble is removed without rem nant.
Those who are imperfect in sense organs
Become perfect and complete.
All sorts of musical instruments
Produce lovely songs by themselves.
The Buddha’s light shines upon all lands
Like a thousand suns illuminating the world.
Fragrant water is sprinkled over the ground,
Which is anointed with powdered sandalwood.
This city of this country at this moment
Is the best in decoration and adornment.
At that time the World-honored One walked to the main road,
where there were two children, one of whom was the son of an
agrakulika (one of prominent family) and the other the son of a
kulika (one of good family). These two children were playing on a
heap of sand. The first one was named Jaya and the second one
Vijaya. When the two of them saw the Buddha marked on his body
with the thirty-two characteristics, the first child put a handful of
sand, as if it were cooked rice, into the Buddha’s alms bowl. While
the second one was rejoicing at this good act with his hands joined
palm to palm, the first one uttered the following stanza:
Endowed with great compassion by nature
Is this person adorned with a round light
Who is free from birth and death.
Now I remember him with one heart.
As I remember the Buddha in my mind,
I offer him this handful of sand.
When Jaya had offered the sand, he made a vow, saying, “May I
become a cakravartin (universal monarch) by the merit of this
good root, so that I can make extensive offerings to the Buddhadharma.”
The Buddha knew his mind and saw that his right vow would
give rise to a superior and wonderful fruit in a future life. As the
Buddha, the Tathagata, was the field of blessedness, he accepted
the sand with a mind of compassion. With a smile, he emitted rays
of different colors, blue, yellow, red, and white, either from the top
of his head or from below his knees. The rays issuing from below
his knees radiated to the eight hells. Those who were suffering in
the cold hells felt warmth, and those in the hot ones enjoyed
coolness. When the light shone upon their bodies, they were freed
from all pains and afflictions. These beings had doubts in their
minds: “Now we are free from suffering, but shall we stay here or
be born somewhere else?”
At that moment the World-honored One, wishing to arouse
good thoughts in them, produced a metamorphic figure and sent it
to those beings. Upon seeing the metamorphic figure, they thought

in their minds, “Now we shall not be bom in other places but are
simply liberated from suffering by the power of this person.” But
the figure made them understand that their retribution in the
hells had been dissolved and that they would be bom, at the
termination of their existence in the hells, in the world of men or
in the heavens, where they could realize right views.
The rays issuing from the top of the Buddha’s head radiated to
132a the Four Heavenly Kings and up to the highest Akanistha heaven.
In the rays the Buddha expounded the Dharma of suffering,
impermanence, voidness, and non-ego, and he also uttered the
following stanza:
Be strenuous to become a homeless recluse,
To tally with the Buddha-dharma.
Destroy the army of rebirth
As an elephant shatters a dwelling house.
If a man practices the Buddha-dharma
Diligently and without indolence,
He will be free from birth and death
And gain the cessation of all pain.
The Buddha’s light was able to shine upon the whole great chiliocosm and then return to his body. If the Buddha wished to recall
past deeds, the light would enter his back; if he wished to predict
future events, it would enter his front; if he wished to predict birth
in the hells, it would enter his feet; if he wished to predict birth
among animals, it would enter his ankles; if he wished to predict
birth among the hungry ghosts, it would enter his toes; if he
wished to predict birth among mankind, it would enter his knees;
if he wished to predict the birth of an iron cakravartin king, it
would enter his left palm; if he wished to predict the birth of a
golden cakravartin king, it would enter his right palm; if he wished
to predict birth in the heavens, it would enter his navel; if he
wished to predict the enlightenment of a sravaka (a direct disciple
of the Buddha), it would enter his mouth; if he wished to predict
the enlightenment of apratyekabuddha (a self-enlightened Buddha),
it would enter the white curl between his eyebrows; and if he
wished to predict the enlightenment of a bodhisattva (a being
destined for full Buddhahood), it would enter the protuberance on
his head. Each time the light returned from the great chiliocosm,
it would first encircle the Buddha three times before it entered the
appropriate spots of his body according to circumstances. Now as
the Buddha smiled, the light, not without reason, entered his left
palm after having encircled him three times.
On seeing this event, Ananda, with his hands put palm to
palm, uttered the following stanza:
Being free from unrest and arrogance,
The Buddha turns evils into superior causes.
He never smiles without a reason,
Exposing his snow white teeth.
He knows by his wisdom
What others are delighted to hear.
With his supreme, brilliant light,
He can dissolve others’ doubts.
The Buddha’s voice is like thunder;
His eyes are those of a bull king.
Being the superior field of blessedness for gods and men,
He should predict the reward for offering sand.
The Buddha said, “Ananda, I am not smiling without a reason.
There is cause for the Tathagata, the Worthy and Omniscient One,
to wear a smile. Ananda, did you see the child putting a handful
of sand into my alms bowl?” Ananda said in reply, “Yes, I did.” The
World-honored One said again, “A hundred years after my nirvana,
132b this child will be born in the city of Pataliputra with the name of
Asoka. He shall be a cakravartin king ruling over one of the four
continents and take delight ip believing the right Dharma. He will
build eighty-four thousand stupas to enshrine the Buddha’s relic
bones for the benefit of many people.” The Tathagata then uttered
the following stanza:
After I have entered nirvana,
There will be born to the Maurya family
A king of men named Asoka,
Enjoying wide fame for taking delight in the Dharma.
With stupas containing my relic bones
He will adorn Jambudvipa.
Such will be the reward of the merit
Gained by offering sand to the Buddha.
The Buddha then took the sand and handed it to Ananda, saying,
“Mix this sand with cow’s dung and spread it over the place where
the Buddha used to walk in meditation.” Ananda then daubed the
ground with the mixture as he was told.
Now in the city of Pataliputra there was a king by the name of
Candragupta whose son was Bindusara; and Bindusara’s eldest
son was Susima.
At that time, a daughter of most elegant features, the best ever
known in the country, was born to a Brahman in the city of Campa.
A physiognomist said in prediction, “This girl will become a queen
and give birth to two sons. The first son will become a cakravartin
king ruling over one of the four continents, and the second one will
be a recluse and attain enlightenment.” The Brahman was greatly
delighted to hear this prediction.
With a desire to gain wealth and nobility, the Brahman took
his daughter to the country of Pataliputra, adorned her with all
kinds of ornaments, and sent word to King Bindusara, “My daughter is most elegant in features, the best ever known in the country.
I offer her to the king to be his consort.” The king accepted his offer
and kept the girl in his harem. His other consorts in the harem,
however, considered the matter among themselves, saying, “This
girl is the most elegant in the country. If the king sees her, he will
certainly be attracted by her beauty and will love us no more.”
Thinking in this way, the royal consorts ordered the girl to serve
the king as his barber.
Once the king ordered a shave, and while the girl was shaving
him he fell asleep. When he woke up he was pleased with the girl
and said to her, ‘Whatever you wish to have, you may declare it.”
Then the girl said to the king, “I wish to have enjoyment with Your
Majesty.” The king said, “As you are a barber and I am a king, how
can I enjoy you?” The girl replied to the king, “I am the daughter
of a Brahman and not a barber. My father, a Brahman, intended
me to be the king’s consort.” The king inquired, “Who has made
you a barber?” “The royal consorts,” was the reply. The king said
again, “You need not do this job any more.” And he took the girl to
be his consort.
Shortly afterwards she became pregnant, and ten months
later she gave birth to a son. As the king thought that he had
no sorrow, he named his son Asoka (No Sorrow). As his second
son was born at a time when he was without sorrow, he named the
child Vitasoka (Without Sorrow). Asoka was rough and coarse in
appearance, and his father did not like him.
At that time, King Bindusara wished to know through
physiognomy which of his sons was competent to succeed him on
the throne. So he summoned a heretical physiognomist named
Pingalavatsajiva, to whom he said, “Venerable teacher, I wish to
know through physiognomy which of my sons is competent to
succeed me as king after my death.” Pingalavatsajiva said in reply,
“If Your Majesty wishes to read the future of the princes, we should
go to the Golden Palace.” King Bindusara then took the princes to
the Golden Palace.
Asoka’s mother said to him, “Today His Majesty wishes to read
the future of the princes. You may go to join them.” Asoka said, “As
the king does not like me, why should I go?” His mother said, “Just
go.” Asoka said in reply, “I shall go as you order me. But please ask
somebody to send my food to that place.”
When Asoka was leaving the city of Pataliputra, he met a minister of the court by the name of Radhagupta, who asked Asoka,
“Where do you intend to go?” Asoka said in reply, “Today the king
is at the Golden Palace in order to read the future of the princes. I
am going there.” Radhagupta then handed his good old elephant
to Asoka so that he could ride to the Golden Palace. After arriving
at that place, Asoka sat down on the ground among the other
princes, who all had various kinds of food and drink contained in
golden and silver vessels. Asoka’s mother prepared rice and cream,
which she put in an earthenware vessel and sent to him.
King Bindusara said to the physiognomist, “You should read
the future of the princes one by one to see who is competent to be
king after my death.” The physiognomist pondered over the matter
in his mind, thinking, “If I say Asoka is competent to be king, the
king will certainly kill me, because he does not value him.” Having
considered the matter in this way, the physiognomist said to the
king, “For certain reasons I shall not mention any name in my
physiognomic reading.” The king said, “Good.” Then the physiognomist said, “The prince who has the best animal for riding will be
competent to be king.” The king said, “Go on with your prediction.”
The physiognomist said again, “The prince who is sitting on the
best seat will be competent to be king.” The king said again, “Go
on with your prediction.” The physiognomist said again, “The
prince who has the best food and drink contained in the best
vessels will be competent to be king.”
When the princes heard these words, each of them thought
that he had the best animal for riding, the best seat, and the best
food and drink contained in the best vessels, and that he should be
king. But Asoka thought in his mind, “Now this physiognomist
refuses to mention any name in his physiognomic reading. If the
one who has the best riding animal will be competent to be king,
i33a then I have the best riding animal. I have the great earth as my
seat; and I eat rice and cream, the best of foods. My vessel is made
of earth, and what I drink is water. So far as I can see, I shall be
king.”
The physiognomist paid a visit to [Asoka’s] mother, who asked
him, “Who will become king after the demise of His Majesty?” He
said in reply, “Asoka.” [Asoka’s] mother then said to the physiognomist, “If the king inquires any more about who is competent to
be king, you should go to a distant place and not stay here. But you
may come back when Asoka becomes king.” So the physiognomist
went far away to some other country.
At that time, a country named Taksas'ila, which was under the
rule of King Bindusara, attempted to rebel against his suzerainty.
King Bindusara said to Asoka, ‘You may assemble the four divisions of troops and march to that country.” But no weapons or
provisions were given to him. When Asoka was leaving the city of
Pataliputra with the four divisions of troops under his command,
they asked him, “Now as we have no weapons or provisions, how
can we go to subdue that country?” Asoka said, “If I am meritorious
and deserve to be king, weapons and provisions should come out
by themselves.” No sooner had he uttered these words than a gap
opened in the earth, from which weapons and provisions emerged.
Thus Asoka, commanding the four divisions of troops, went to
punish Taksasila.
Upon hearing that Asoka was coming, the people of Taksasila
came out half a yojana [one yojana is a day’s journey in an ox cart]
to decorate the road and sprinkle scented water over the ground
to receive Asoka, to whom they said, “We come to welcome you,
O Prince, not to fight with you, nor do we harbor any enmity
against His Majesty the great king. But the minister sent by
the king is governing our country in a bad way, and we wish
that he be recalled.” Then the people offered various gifts to Asoka
and welcomed him to their country, as has been extensively
related.
Asoka was again sent by the king as an envoy to the country
of Kasi. In the country of Kasi there were two warriors, who said
to their king, “We two are strong enough to level a mountain. When
Asoka comes we need not serve him as his subjects.” At that
moment, the heavenly beings voiced a warning, saying, “Asoka
will be a cakravartin king to rule over one of the four continents.
You should not go against him.”
Now Susima, the eldest son of King Bindusara, was returning
from the royal gardens to the city of Pataliputra when he met on
the way the king’s prime minister, who was bald, coming out of the
city. To joke with him, Susima patted him on his bald crown. The
prime minister thought, “Even now he dared to pat me on the
head. Should he become king, he would certainly hurt me with a
sword. It befits me to take measures to prevent him from becoming
king.” Thus he ordered five hundred ministers to leave Susima,
and he announced that Asoka would be a cakravartin king ruling
over one of the four continents and that all of them should servehim together. He even agitated the people of Taksasila to rebel
against the king, refusing to be his subjects any more.
King Bindusara dispatched Susima to subjugate the rebels,
but when he reached that country he could not suppress the revolt.
At that time Asoka returned home, and King Bindusara, who was
seriously ill and on his deathbed, ordered a messenger to instruct
Asoka to go back to Taksasila, while asking Susima to return home
speedily, saying, “I intend to hand over state affairs to him.”
The ministers smeared Asoka’s body with the yellow juice of
ginger to make him look as if he were sick, and they also boiled
laksa (red dye) and kept the juice in a bowl, which they put
someplace, while announcing that Asoka was ill.
When King Bindusara was approaching his end, the ministers
dressed Asoka and took him to the king, to whom they said, “T his
is a prince. Your Majesty ought to give him the throne. When
Susima returns, we shall restore the throne to him.”
Upon hearing these words, the king was greatly enraged.
Asoka said, “If I am the legal king, let the heavenly beings crown
me right now.” When he had said so, the heavenly beings immediately put a celestial crown on his head. At this sight, the king was
all the more furious and died with hot blood oozing from his mouth.
Then Asoka ascended the throne; and after ascending the
throne he appointed Radhagupta as his prime m inister
Susima was very angry to hear that Asoka had ascended
the throne after the death of the king, and he wished to punish
Asoka with his troops. Asoka, in his city, mobilized a great number of soldiers to guard the four gates of the city. He ordered
two strong and valorous generals with groups of soldiers to guard
the southern and western gates; he ordered his prime minister
Radhagupta with a group of soldiers to guard the northern gate;
and he himself, commanding a group of soldiers, guarded the
eastern gate. Radhagupta made by different expedients various
kinds of devices at the eastern gate of the city; he had figures of
Asoka and his soldiers carved out of wood and had ditches dug in
the ground in which smokeless fires were kept burning under
coverings that were camouflaged by dry earth scattered over them.
Susima and his troops intended to attack the northern gate, but
Radhagupta said to him, “Don’t attack me. You should attack the
eastern gate. If you can kill King Asoka, I will surrender to you.”
Listening to his suggestion, Susima directed his army to attack the
eastern gate, where, seeing that none of the wooden figures was
moving, he marched straight forward, fell into the fire pits, and
burned to death.
After Susima’s death, his army commander, Bhadrayudha by
i33c name, a brave and powerful man, led his army of more than a
thousand soldiers to become Buddhist monks to practice the Way;
and they attained arhatship (sainthood).
King Asoka administered state affairs, but his five hundred
ministers disdained him. Once he said to his ministers, “Pull
up flower and fruit trees to protect thorns and brambles.” The
ministers said in reply, “No! We should pull up thorns and
brambles to protect flower and fruit trees.” But Asoka repeated
that they should pull up flower and fruit trees to protect thorns
and brambles. Three times his ministers disobeyed him. In a fit of
anger, Asoka drew his sword and beheaded the five hundred
ministers.
Another time, King Asoka took five hundred maids of honor to
j the rear garden, where there was a tree with profuse flowers and
foliage called an asoka tree. On seeing this tree, King Asoka said,
“I am glad that this tree bears the same name as I.”
As Asoka was physically rough and coarse, the maids did not
wish to go near him. While he was sleeping in the garden, the
maids, intending to displease him, plucked all the flowers and
leaves of the tree, leaving it bare. When Asoka woke up and saw
the bare tree, he asked the maids, “Who stripped this tree so
completely?” The maids said in reply, ‘We did it.” In a fit of anger,
King Asoka wrapped all the maids in bamboo screens and burned
them to death. As he was so wicked, the people of the time called
him Candasoka (Cruel Asoka).
The prime minister Radhagupta told King Candasoka that he
should not personally beat or kill but should order somebody else
to do it. Thus the king recruited an executioner. There lived then
in a village in the mountains a man good at weaving clothes, who
had a son called by his father Girika. This young man was so
fearsome that he was capable of doing unrighteous deeds and
always scolded his parents. He beat everyone, male or female, in
the household and would kill or hurt all living creatures. His trade
was fishing and hunting, and as he did so much slaughtering, he
was also called by the people Candagirika.
When the king was searching for a cruel person, [his messenger] came upon this man. The messenger said to him, “The king
wishes to govern the people by means of killing. Can you do
the job?” The man answered, “I could kill everybody in the whole
of Jambudvipa, if I were asked to do so.” The messenger reported
to the king what the man had said, and the king ordered that he
be brought to his presence. By order of the king, the messenger
went to the man’s place and told him, “The king has asked you to
come.” The man said to the messenger, “Just wait a moment. I
must go to see my parents.” Then he went to inform his parents
that King As'oka wished to govern the people by means of killing, that he had asked him to do the job, and that he was willing
i34a to go. But his parents would not permit him to go; and so in a fit
of rage, he murdered his parents. Then he returned to the messenger, who asked him, “Why are you so late?” The man said in
reply, “Because my parents would not allow me to go, I finished
them off.”
When the man came to the palace, he told the king that if he
wished to punish people, he should build a prison with a gate well
decorated to look most magnificent, so that anybody who saw it
would be delighted with it. He also asked the king to issue a strict
order that nobody should be allowed to come out once he had
entered the prison. The king said, “Very good.”
Candagirika then went to Kukkuta Monastery, where a bhiksu
was reciting a scripture in which the events in the hells were related,
such as cauldrons with boiling water, furnaces with burning
charcoal, mountains planted with knives, trees bearing swords,
and other painful implements of punishment. Those who were
bom in the hells were punished according to the sins they had
committed. Such hellish things were extensively related in the
Scripture of the Five Divine Lictors. Upon hearing these words,
Candagirika made all the implements of torture that were used in
the hells.
In the country of Sravasti, there was a merchant who went to
sea with his wife; a son was bom to them while they were at sea,
and the child was thus named Sagara (Sea). After voyaging to and
fro for twelve years, they encountered five hundred pirates, who
killed the merchant and seized his property. His son alone escaped
death. Later he became a Buddhist monk, and on his wanderings
he reached the country of Pataliputra. One day he got up early,
dressed himself properly, and went into the country with alms
bowl in hand to collect food. As he did not know the place, he
entered the prison to beg for alms, because he saw that its gate was
so nicely decorated. Inside the prison he saw all kinds of implements of torture and intended to withdraw. But Candagirika got
hold of him and said, “You shall suffer death and cannot go out.”
Being frightened, the monk cried and wept with tears flowing
down. Candagirika said to him, “Why are you crying like a child?”
The monk replied, “It is not because I value my body, but because
it is difficult to attain emancipation. It is difficult to renounce one’s
home, but this I did. It is difficult to live during the time of
Sakyamuni Buddha, but I am living in it. I have not gained the
true Dharma of all Dharmas, and that is why I am anxious and
worried.” Candagirika said to the monk, “I have been instructed by
the great king that nobody should be allowed to leave this prison
once he has come into it.” The monk said with tears, ‘You must
allow me one month’s extension.” “Not one month, but seven days
may be allowed,” was the reply. Considering that he was approaching his death, the monk zealously practiced the Dharma with great
energy for the full seven days.
At that time, a prince had a talk with a palace maid, and King
Asoka, being irritated by the sight, had the two of them sent to the
prison for punishment. Candagirika put them in an iron mortar
and pounded them with a pestle. Greatly terrified by the sight, the
134b monk uttered the following stanza:
The Great Master, the Buddha compassionate,
The Leading Recluse, has rightly said that
This material form is like a bubble,
Unsubstantial and not ever-abiding.
This fair and graceful body—
Where is it after its destruction?
Thus one should give up
What the ignorant take pleasure in.
I should realize that on this occasion.
I shall gain liberation in this prison.
With its aid I shall cross
The sea of the three realms of being.
In that one night the monk meditated with full energy and
attained arhatship after cutting off his passions. Candagirika said
to him, “The night is over and the day is dawning. You should know
that the time of suffering is approaching.” The monk said in reply,
I do not know what you mean by saying that the night is over and
the day is dawning. But I do realize that the night of ignorance is
over and the sun of wisdom is appearing. By the light of the sun of
wisdom, I see that nothing has reality in this world. Thus I intend
to edify the world with the Dharma of the Buddha.” He also told
Candagirika, “Now you may do whatever you please with this body
of mine.”
At that time, the warden of the prison, being a merciless man
and having seen nothing of the world, relentlessly put the monk
into an iron cauldron, poured pus, blood, feces, urine, and other
filthy things into it, and built a big fire with much fuel to boil the
monk in the cauldron. But when the fuel was exhausted, the body
of the monk was not damaged at all. On seeing that the monk’s
shape was not changed, the warden beat and scolded the jailors
angrily, ‘W hy don’t you add more fuel to the fire?”
The warden then personally added fuel to the fire, but it
would not burn. Meanwhile he saw that the monk was sitting
cross-legged on a lotus flower in the cauldron. After seeing this
phenomenon, the warden immediately went to report to the king.
Upon hearing this matter, the king, followed by his people, went
to see it. At that moment the monk instantly came out of the iron
cauldron by his supernatural powers and rose up into the air like
a king goose hovering in the air in eighteen different ways.
King Asoka was delighted to see the monk as conspicuous as a
mountain appearing in the air, and he uttered the following stanza:
Your body is similar to that of an ordinary man,
But your divine powers surpass the ability of men.
I do not know about this:
Who are you in fact?
You should tell me the truth
And let me know you now.
If I know the truth,
I shall be a disciple of yours.
134c The monk then thought in his mind, “This king is now capable of
accepting the Buddha’s words. He will build many stupas to enshrine the Buddha’s relics, so that all people can gain the benefit
of the Dharma.” Having thought so, he wished to reveal the
Buddha’s merits and uttered the following stanza:
The Buddha has cut off all passions;
His great compassion is incomparable.
I am a disciple
Of the best debater of the highest grade.
The inexhaustible power of the right Dharma
Regards nothing as a real being.
The Buddha is a bull king among men
Who can control himself and regulate others.
It is he who has liberated me
From the prison of the three realms of being.
[And he said,] “The king was also predicted by the Buddha, A
hundred years after my nirvana, there will be a king by the name
of Asoka in the city of Pataliputra. He will be a cakravartin king
and rule over one of the four continents, and he will construct
eighty-four thousand stupas for the enshrinement of my relics.

The prison to be built by the king, in which numerous people will
be killed, will be like the hells. He will finally demolish it and
impart freedom from fear to all living beings.’ The great king
should now comply with the Buddha’s wishes.” He then uttered the
following stanza:
Thus the great king of men
Should have a mind of pity
For all living beings
And grant them freedom from fear.
Complying with the wishes of the World-honored One,
He should erect numerous stupas for his relics.
King Asoka, fixing his mind on the Buddha and putting his hands
palm to palm, uttered the following stanza in penitence:
I take refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma,
And his disciples in the Sangha (Buddhist Order).
May you, the son of the ten powers,
Treat me with patience.
All the evils that I have done
I shall confess to you.
Now I shall cultivate my mind with diligence
And with a mind of deep veneration.
I shall decorate this earth
With many types of Buddha-stupas
As white as snow and jade,
To conform with the Buddha’s augury.
The monk exclaimed in reply, “Excellent!” and then returned by
supernatural powers to his own place.
When King Asoka was about to leave the prison, Candagirika
said to him, with his hands joined palm to palm, “Your Majesty is
aware that I have been instructed not to allow anybody to go out
of this prison once he has entered it.” The king said to him, “Do you
intend to kill me?” ‘Yes,” was the reply. The king asked him,
“Which of us came in first?” Candagirika said in reply, “I came in
i35a first.” Then the king told the jailors to arrest Candagirika, put him
in the lakuca (glue) house, and set it on fire. He also ordered people
to demolish the prison so as to impart freedom from fear to all
living beings.
With the intention of building numerous Buddha-stupas, the
king arrayed his four divisions of troops and went to the Drona
Stupa constructed by King Ajatasatru. Upon arriving at the stupa,
he ordered his men to pull it down and take out the relics buried
in it. In this way he took out the relics from seven stupas one after
another. Then he went to a village named Ramagrama, where
stood the first stupa ever built. He intended to break it also and
take out the relics.
The Naga king then invited Asoka to the Naga palace and said
to him, “This is the stupa to which I always make offerings. May
Your Majesty preserve it.” King Asoka consented, and then the
Naga king sent him back to Ramagrama. Considering that the
Naga king protected that stupa with twice the usual attention
because it was the first one ever built in the world, Asoka realized
that he could not obtain the relics contained therein and returned
to his own country.
King Asoka made eighty-four thousand precious cases and put
the relics in all of them. He also made eighty-four thousand vases,
banners, and canopies and gave them to the Yaksas (devils),
ordering them to erect stupas at all places on earth and even over
the great seas. He also announced that if any country in one of the
three categories—the small, the medium, or the large ones—paid
the sum of one crore of taels of gold, one royal stupa would be built
there. Now as the country of Taksasila paid thirty-six crores of
taels of gold, its people said to King Asoka, “May Your Majesty give
us thirty-six cases.”
Upon hearing these words, the king wondered how, since he
intended to build numerous stupas at all places, this country could
be allowed to obtain so many cases of relics. Thus he said expediently to the people of that country, “Now I shall exempt you from
thirty-five crores of taels of gold.” And he also declared, “From now
onwards, all countries, whether they have more or fewer stupas,
will not have to pay me any more gold.”

King As'oka then went to the great virtuous arhat Yasas, to
whom he said, “I wish to complete the construction of all of the
eighty-four thousand stupas in one moment in one day.” And he
uttered the following stanza:
I took from the first seven stupas
The relics of the World-honored One.
A king of the Maurya family am I,
Constructing stupas in one day,
Eighty-four thousand in number,
As brilliant as white clouds.
Having erected eighty-four thousand stupas, King As'oka supported and protected the Buddha-dharma, so much so that the
people of the time called him Dharmasoka. All the people uttered
the following stanza:
The great holy king of the Maurya family,
Knowing that the Dharma is of great benefit,
Dotted the world with many stupas
And gave up his ill fame on earth.
Having gained the good name of a Dharma King,
By the Dharma he has achieved happiness.

End of Fascicle One

of the Biographical Scripture ofKingAsoka
The above was translated by Samghapala, a sramana (Buddhist
monk) of Funan, on the twentieth day of the sixth month in the
eleventh year of Tian-jian (512 C.E.) of the Liang dynasty at the
Shou-guang Hall in Yang-du. See Baochang’s New Catalogue of
Chinese Buddhist Texts.

Chapter II
The Causes of Seeing Upagupta
When King Asoka had constructed eighty-four thousand relic
stupas, he was very glad, and together with his ministers he went
to Kukkuta Monastery. Upon arriving at the monastery, he went
to the abbot to salute him with his hands joined palm to palm and
said, “The Buddha, who was the All-seer, predicted that I would
receive my present reward as a result of my offering a handful of
sand to him. Was there any other person to whom the Buddha said
anything in prediction?” The chief bhiksu of the time was named
Yasas, who answered King Asoka in the affirmative. Before the
World-honored One entered nirvana, there were a Naga king
named Apalala and a potter as well as a candala (wicked) Naga
king. After having converted them, the Buddha came to the country of Mathura. In Mathura he told the Elder Ananda, “A hundred
years after the nirvana of the Tathagata, there will be in this
country of Mathura a perfumer by the name of Gupta, who will
have a son named Upagupta. Being a Buddha without the characteristic marks on his body, Upagupta will edify the people in a
most excellent way and perform a Buddha’s functions after my
nirvana.” He also said to Ananda, “Do you see yonder green
forest?” Ananda replied, ‘Yes, I see it.” The Buddha said, “There
is a mountain over there called Urumanda. A hundred years
after the nirvana of the Tathagata, a monastery with the name
Natabhatika will be built on the mountain; it will be the best place
for meditation.” The World-honored One then uttered the following stanza:
Among all the learned disciples,
The best in wisdom,
As the World-honored One prophesied,
Is the one named Upagupta.
This great virtuous one in this world
Will widely perform the Buddha’s functions.
i35c King Asoka inquired of the abbot Yasas, “Has Upagupta been born
or not?” The great virtuous Yasas said in reply, “He has been born
and is now on Urumanda Mountain. He is free from all passions,
and various arhats are following him to gather up and save all
suffering beings in the world. Thus he is preaching the Dharma,
as the All-wise One, to Devas, human beings, and Asuras as well
as Nagas and divine beings.”
At that time, the Elder Upagupta, surrounded by eighteen
thousand arhats, was at Natabhatika Monastery. King Asoka
uttered the following stanza to his ministers:
Quickly make arrangements to mobilize
My army of elephants, horses, chariots, and footmen.
I intend to go to that country
Where stands the mountain Urumanda,
To see the Great Virtuous One
With the name of Upagupta.
Through diligent cultivation to end his passions,
He has reached the stage of an arhat in perfection.
The ministers said to King Asoka, “Let Your Majesty just send a
messenger to tell the people there to ask Upagupta to come to the
king.” But the king said in reply, “He is an arhat. We should not
despise or humiliate him but should go in person to salute him.”
And he uttered the following stanza:
Living in the world like a Tathagata
Is the one whose name is Upagupta.
If one receives not his commands,
His heart is made of adamant.
King Asoka then sent a messenger to Upagupta to inform him, “We
wish to come to the Great Virtuous One.” Upon hearing this
message, Upagupta thought, “If King Asoka comes here, he will
certainly bring with him a large retinue that would cause much
loss to this country.” Then he said to the messenger, “I will go to
him. There is no need for the king to come here.”
Thus the king built ships to welcome Upagupta and repaired
all the roads leading to the country of Mathura. At that time,
Upagupta and his eighteen thousand arhats embarked for
Pataliputra with the intention of converting the king to the teachings of the Buddha.
A subject of King Asoka said to him, “It is for the sake of
converting Your Majesty that Upagupta is coming to this country.
It befits Your Majesty to know that the Buddha-dharma is comparable to a ship, by which you will be able, as you have cultivated
goodness, to ferry across the sea of the three realms of existence
and reach the other shore of non-action. Early tomorrow morning,
Upagupta will walk to Your Majesty.”
Being delighted to hear these words, the king untied his string
of pearls, worth a crore of taels of gold, and awarded it to the man.
He also ordered the man to make an announcement with the
beating of a drum, so that all people in Pataliputra might know
136a that Upagupta was coming on the following day. The man was also
instructed to utter the following stanza:
Those who wish to enjoy the bliss of riches,
Be born in the heavens, or achieve the causes of liberation,
Should all go to see
That person Upagupta.
One who did not see the Buddha—
The most honored one among bipedal beings,
Who was compassionate by intrinsic nature,
The great master free from passions—
Should go with offerings
To see the person named Upagupta.
King Asoka made all his people hear this stanza and also ordered
them to mend and decorate the roads. He went out of the city to
a distance of half a yojana, together with his subjects, holding
flowers and playing various musical instruments, to welcome
Upagupta. On seeing that Upagupta had already come ashore at
a distance, surrounded by eighteen thousand arhats standing in a
group shaped like a crescent moon, King Asoka alighted from his
elephant and walked to Upagupta. With one foot on board the ship
and the other one on land, he carried Upagupta in his hands onto
the ship, where he prostrated himself, with his knees, elbows, and
head touching the floor, at the feet of the monk, like a big tree
collapsing on the earth. After kissing the monk’s feet, he knelt
before him, put his hands palm to palm, and gazed at him with
admiration while he uttered the following stanza:
The earth has the sea as its garment
With mountains as canopies for its adornment.
Being rid of my foes I obtained this earth,
Which makes me feel delighted.
More am I delighted today
To meet you, the Most Virtuous One.
As I see you today,
I feel doubly happy in my mind.
It is like seeing the World-honored One.
This is why I am happy in my mind.
Though the Buddha has entered nirvana,
You, the Most Virtuous One, are performing his functions.
In the darkness of the world,
You are the light of the sun and moon.
You adorn the world with wisdom,
As the Great Master has done.
The best person for the edification of men,
You are the shelter for all living beings.
May you give me instruction and
I shall act according to your teachings.
Upagupta, the Most Virtuous One, stroked Asoka’s head with his
right hand and uttered the following stanza:
Although Your Majesty is now free from obstacles,
You should still practice non-slackness.
It is rare to meet the Three Treasures,
To which offerings should always be made.
The World-honored One transmitted the Dharma-pitaka
To you, to me, and to others.
The Buddha-dharma you should constantly guard,
In order to convert all living beings.
King Asoka said in reply, “I have done what the World-honored
One predicted.” And he also uttered the following stanza:
Offerings have I made to the relics
Of the World-honored One and to his statues.
Stupas have been built at all places,
Decorated with gems and jewels.
The only thing I cannot do is to renounce
My home for the pure life of a recluse.
Upagupta said, “It is excellent, really excellent that Your Majesty
has done such things, which are worthy of being done by a king.
And why?”
Your Majesty should practice reality
With your body, life, and property.
If you are reborn in another world,
You will not suffer pains in that world.
Offering a large amount of gifts to Upagupta, King Asoka brought
him to the city and carried the Most Virtuous One to a high seat.
Upagupta’s body was as soft and smooth as cotton; and the king,
having touched his body, uttered the following stanza with his
hands joined palm to palm:
Your body is soft and smooth,
Like silk and cotton.
My rough and coarse body
Has touched Your Reverence.
Upagupta then uttered the following stanza:
I have offered the best gift
To the Buddha, the World-honored One.
It was unlike the sand
You presented to the Tathagata.
King Asoka again uttered the following stanza:
I had the mind of a child,
To offer sand to the World-honored One
Who was the field of blessedness.
Thus I have become a king.
In order to please Asoka, Upagupta uttered the following stanza:
Your Majesty met the field of blessedness
In which grew the seeds of giving alms.
Hence you gained the reward
Of wonderful happiness.
Having heard this stanza, the king felt greatly pleased and uttered
the following stanza:
Formerly I offered sand to the World-honored One,
The field of great blessedness.
Now I have gained incomparable happiness,
Being a quarter of a cakravartin king
Who, upon hearing of this event,
Will not make offerings to the Tathagata?
i36c At that time, King Asoka worshipped at Upagupta’s feet and said,
“Most Virtuous One, I wish to make offerings to all the places
where the Buddha walked, stood, sat, or lay. I also wish to mark
the places to let the people of the future know where the Buddha,
the Tathagata, walked, stood, sat, or lay, so that they may be
converted to the teachings of the Buddha.” Then he uttered the
following stanza:
I intend to make offerings
To all places where the Tathagata
Walked, stood, sat, or lay,
So that I may be free from the pains of rebirth.
I also wish to make images of the Tathagata
Walking, standing, sitting, or lying,
To provide people of the future
With a chance of seeing the Buddha.
Upagupta said in reply, “It is excellent, Your Majesty, really excellent! This intention of yours is most difficult to realize. Now I shall
show you the places of the four postures of the Tathagata, the
World-honored One, so that you can make images for the purpose
of converting all living beings.”
At that time, King Asoka arrayed his four divisions of troops,
holding flowers and playing music, and went with Upagupta to
those places. Upagupta took King Asoka to the Buddha’s birthplace in the wood of Lumbini, and said with his right hand pointing
to the place, “King Asoka, this is the Buddha’s birthplace.” And
then he uttered the following stanza:
This is the first place of the World-honored One,
Where he walked seven steps after he was born.
With pure eyes he observed the four quarters
And made a Lion’s Roar, saying,
“This is my last birth
From a mother’s womb.”
King Asoka prostrated himself on the ground to worship the place
where the Tathagata was born and uttered the following stanza
with his hands joined palm to palm:
One who has seen the Buddha
Possesses great merits.
If one has heard the Lion’s Roar,
He gains the same merits.
In order to engender a mind of deep faith in King Asoka, Upagupta
asked him, “Do you wish to see a heavenly being who saw the
Buddha walking seven steps after he was born and heard the
Lion’s Roar?” The king said in reply, “Most Virtuous One, I do wish
to see him.” Upagupta said, “The heavenly being is residing on the
branch that Mahamaya was holding when the Tathagata was
bom.” Then he pointed to the place and uttered the following
stanza:
If there is any heavenly being
Residing in this wood,
Who has seen the World-honored One
And heard his Lion’s Roar,
May he appear in person
To engender Asoka’s conviction.
137a The heavenly being then appeared in person and stood with hands
joined palm to palm before Upagupta, to whom he said, “Most
Virtuous One, what do you wish me to do?”
Upagupta said to King Asoka, “This heavenly being saw the
Buddha at the time of his birth.” With his hands joined palm to palm,
King Asoka uttered the following stanza to the heavenly being:
You saw the Buddha when he was born
With a dignified body of a hundred blisses.
His features resembled a lotus flower,
Loved and admired by the whole world.
You also heard the Lion’s Roar
Right in this great wood.
The heavenly being uttered the following stanza in reply:
I have seen the Buddha’s body,
Brilliant with golden hues,
Walking seven steps in air,
The supreme one among all bipeds.
The Lion’s Roar I also heard,
Honored by heavenly beings and mankind.
The king inquired, ‘What were the auspicious signs when the
Tathagata was born?” The heavenly being answered, “It is not
possible for me to relate all the wonderful things in full. I can tell
only a few things briefly.” Then he uttered the following stanza:
Emitting a light of golden color,
Shining upon this blind world,
He was adored by men and beings in heavens,
And the earth quaked with the sea and mountains.
King Asoka offered a hundred thousand taels of gold to the birthplace of the Tathagata, where he constructed a stupa. Then he
went to the other places.
Upagupta took King Asoka to the abode of a recluse in
Kapilavastu and pointed to the place to show the king. It was at
this place that the Bodhisattva, as an infant with a lovely body
well adorned with the thirty-two physical marks, was shown to /
King Suklodana. On seeing that place, King Asoka prostrated
himself on the ground to worship it. Sakyavardhana was a place
of divine beings. When the Bodhisattva went there to pay homage
to the divine beings, they declined to accept his worship but
/
saluted him. When King Suklodana witnessed this event, he remarked, “This son of mine is the Deva of Devas.” Thus he was
called Devatideva.
Upagupta said again, “This is the place where the Brahman
physiognomist read the features of the Bodhisattva.” He also said,
“This is the place where a recluse predicted the Bodhisattva’s
future, saying that the child would become a Buddha.” He also
said, “This is the place where Mahaprajapatl fostered the Bodhisattva.” He also said, “This is the place where the Bodhisattva
studied books.” He also said, “This is the place where the Bodhisattva learned the arts of riding an elephant, a chariot, and a
horse.” He also said, “This is the place where the Bodhisattva
fully mastered different arts and crafts.” He also said, “This
137b is the place where the Bodhisattva turned the Wheel of the
Dharma.” He also said, “This is the place where he amused himself with sixty thousand maids of honor.” He also said, “This
is the place where the Bodhisattva felt sorry at the sight of an
aged man, a sick person, and a corpse.” He also said, “This is
the place where the Bodhisattva practiced meditation and other
methods for getting rid of desire and evils under a jambu tree.
Here he gained enlightenment and insight and entered the
first stage of dhyana (trance), in which he was freed from rebirth
and enjoyed bliss. While the Bodhisattva was sitting in meditation the sun passed the meridian, but the shadow of the tree
under which he was sitting did not move, whereas the shadows
of other trees shifted as the sun moved. At this sight, King /
Suklodana prostrated himself on the ground to worship at
the Bodhisattva’s feet. Ten thousand heavenly beings of that
place attended the Bodhisattva and followed him going out of
the city of Kapilavastu at midnight.” Again, there was the place
where the Bodhisattva took off his precious crown and sent his
horse and the groom Chandaka back home. The following stanza
was uttered:
His precious crown and pearls were forsaken,
Together with his horse and Chandaka,
Whom he sent back to his homeland.
Proceeding alone without a guard,
To cultivate himself with effort,
He entered the mountains to learn the Way.
At this place the Bodhisattva gave his silk garment to a hunter in
exchange for his robe and became a homeless recluse.
This was the place where Bhargava invited the Bodhisattva.
This was the place where King Bimbisara offered half of his
kingdom to the Bodhisattva. This was the place where he studied
under Udraka Ramaputra. The following stanza was then
uttered:
At this place there was a recluse,
Whose name was Udraka Ramaputra.
Going away after hearing his dharma,
The King of Men had no more teachers.
At this place he practiced asceticism for six years. The following
stanza was also uttered:
For six years of ascetic life,
I did what was hard to do.
Knowing that austerity was not the Way,
I gave up the recluse’s practice.
This was the place where the Bodhisattva accepted the mill?
congee prepared with milk collected from sixteen cows and offered
by the two maids Nanda and Nandabala. The following stanza was
uttered:
It was at this place that the Bodhisattva
Took Nanda’s offering of milk congee.
The Great Hero, whose words were supreme,
From here went to the Bodhi tree.
At this place the Naga king Kalika eulogized the Bodhisattva, as
was stated in the following stanza:
The Naga king named Kalika
Said in commendation:
“By this way he will go
To the Bodhi tree.”
At that time, King Asoka worshipped at the feet of Upagupta and,
with his hands joined palm to palm, said to him, “I wish to see the
i37c Naga king who has formerly seen the Tathagata walking like an
elephant king, going by this way to the Bodhi tree.” Upagupta then
went to the abode of Kalika and uttered the following stanza while
he pointed at the Naga king:
The most eminent of all Naga kings,
May you appear in your true form,
As you saw the Bodhisattva
Going from here to the Bodhi tree.
Then the Naga king Kalika appeared in his physical form, stood
before Upagupta with his hands joined palm to palm, and said,
“Most Virtuous One, what do you wish me to do?” Upagupta said
to King Asoka, “This is the Naga king Kalika, who praised the
Bodhisattva when he was going by this way to the Bodhi tree.”
King Asoka put his hands palm to palm and uttered the following
stanza to the Naga king Kalika:
You have seen the Buddha, the World-honored One,
Whose light was of a golden hue.
None was comparable to him in this world.
His face was like the full moon in autumn.
Of the great merits of his ten powers
Please say just one portion.
How did he go from here,
The Buddha who possessed divine powers?
The Naga king Kalika said in reply, “It is impossible for me to
relate all this in full, but I will tell you briefly. May Your Majesty
listen to me.” Then he uttered the following stanza:
When the Bodhisattva walked on the earth,
It quaked in six ways.
The great sea and mountains
Issued a light brighter than the sun.
After having constructed a stupa at the place of the Naga king,
King Asoka went away to other places.
Upagupta then took King Asoka to the Bodhi tree and pointed
to it, saying, ‘Your Majesty, this is the place where the Bodhisattva, accompanied by compassion, conquered the army of Mara
and attained the supreme perfect enlightenment.” He also uttered
the following stanza:
It was here that the Lord of Full Completion
Vanquished the army of the King of Destruction,
Tasted the ghee without compare, and attained
The supreme enlightenment of perfection.
King Asoka offered a hundred thousand taels of gold to the Bodhi
tree, and, after constructing a stupa at the spot, went away to
other places.
Upagupta again spoke to the king, saying, “This is the place
where the Buddha received from the Four Heavenly Kings four
alms bowls, which he merged into one.” He said at another place,
“This is the place where the Buddha accepted food offered by the
two merchants Trapusa and Bhallika. From here the Buddha went
to the country of Varanasi.” There was also the place where the
heretic named Upajeta praised the Tathagata.
Upagupta also took King Asoka to Mrgadava, the park of
recluses, and pointed to it, saying, “This is the place where the
World-honored One turned thrice the Wheel of the Dharma of the
twelve nidanas (links of causality).” And he also uttered the following stanza:
At this place he turned three times
The Wheel of the Dharma of the twelve nidanas,
Created by the Dharma of truth,
To save all beings from the pains of rebirth.
This was the place where one thousand heretics became Buddhist
monks.
There was another place where the Buddha preached the
Dharma to King Bimbisara, who thereupon realized correct views.
At another place the Buddha preached the Dharma to eighty
thousand heavenly beings and numerous Brahmans and householders of the country of Magadha, who thereupon realized correct
views. There was another place where the Buddha preached the
Dharma to the heavenly king Sakra together with eighty thousand
heavenly beings, who thereupon realized correct views. There was
another place where the World-honored One returned to earth
with numerous heavenly beings after having preached the Dharma
to his mother and spent the summer retreat at her abode in
heaven. There were many more places, as has been extensively
recorded.
Upagupta then took King Asoka to Kusinagara, where the
Buddha entered nirvana. He raised his hand to show the king,
saying, “Your Majesty, this is the place where the Tathagata
entered complete nirvana after having done what ought to be
done.” And he also uttered the following stanza:
Heavenly beings and Asuras,
Yaksas, Nagas, and other deities,
And all beings in the world
Having been fully edified,
The great zealous one of compassion
Entered nirvana, the state of completion.
Upagupta also took King Asoka to Mrgadava, the park of
recluses, and pointed to it, saying, “This is the place where the
World-honored One turned thrice the Wheel of the Dharma of the
twelve nidanas (links of causality).” And he also uttered the following stanza:
At this place he turned three times
The Wheel of the Dharma of the twelve nidanas,
Created by the Dharma of truth,
To save all beings from the pains of rebirth.
This was the place where one thousand heretics became Buddhist
monks.
There was another place where the Buddha preached the
Dharma to King Bimbisara, who thereupon realized correct views.
At another place the Buddha preached the Dharma to eighty
thousand heavenly beings and numerous Brahmans and householders of the country of Magadha, who thereupon realized correct
views. There was another place where the Buddha preached the
Dharma to the heavenly king Sakra together with eighty thousand
heavenly beings, who thereupon realized correct views. There was
another place where the World-honored One returned to earth
with numerous heavenly beings after having preached the Dharma
to his mother and spent the summer retreat at her abode in
heaven. There were many more places, as has been extensively
recorded.
Upagupta then took King Asoka to Kusinagara, where the
Buddha entered nirvana. He raised his hand to show the king,
saying, “Your Majesty, this is the place where the Tathagata
entered complete nirvana after having done what ought to be
done.” And he also uttered the following stanza:
Heavenly beings and Asuras,
Yaksas, Nagas, and other deities,
And all beings in the world
Having been fully edified,
The great zealous one of compassion
Entered nirvana, the state of completion.
which you should make offerings.” The king inquired what the
merits and divine powers of this person were. The elder monk said
in reply, “The Buddha said that he was the foremost in possessing
supernatural powers among all his disciples. He could agitate with
his toe the supreme Dharma hall of the heavenly king Sakra, and
he could subdue the Naga kings Nanda and Upananda.” Then he
uttered the following stanza:
In divine powers Maudgalyayana
Was the foremost, as the Buddha said.
He could shake with his toe
/
The supreme hall of Sakra.
Two Naga kings he subdued,
Nanda and Upananda.
His merits and divine powers
Were a sea that was fathomless.
Ring Asoka offered a hundred thousand taels of gold to the stupa
of Maudgalyayana and uttered the following stanza with his hands
joined palm to palm:
Supreme divine powers
Save one from the distress of rebirth.
I am worshipping now
The renowned Maudgalyayana.
Upagupta pointed to another place and said, “This is the stupa of
Mahakasyapa, to which offerings should be made.” King Asoka
inquired about the merits of this person, and the elder said in
reply, “The Buddha said that he was the foremost in contentment
with few desires and in the practice of eight kinds of asceticism.
The Buddha once shared his seat with him and covered him with
the Buddha’s own robe. He converted suffering beings and upheld the Dharma-pitaka.” [Upagupta] also uttered the following
stanza:
The supreme field of great blessedness
Practiced contentment with few desires
And upheld the Buddha’s Dh&rma-pitaka
To save all suffering beings.
The Buddha shared his seat with him
And covered him with his robes.
Nobody could relate in full
The great sea of his merits.
King Asoka again offered a hundred thousand taels of gold to the
stupa of Mahakasyapa and uttered the following stanza with his
hands joined palm to palm:
He always stayed in caves,
In contentment, with few desires,
Free from distress and enmity,
Having gained the fruit of liberation.
For his power of peerless merits,
I pay him homage.
Upagupta then showed King Asoka the stupa of Vakula and said,
“Your Majesty, this is the stupa of Vakula, to which you should
make offerings.” King Asoka inquired, “What were the merits of
this person?” Upagupta replied, “Among the Buddha’s disciples, he
was foremost in keeping himself free from illness, but he never
taught the Dharma to others even in one or two sentences.” Then
the king ordered his men to offer twenty cowries to the stupa. A
minister asked King Asoka, “Vakula was also an arhat like the
others. Why did you offer only twenty cowries to his stupa, whereas you offered gold to the other stupas?” King Asoka said, ‘You
should listen to me.”
The lamp of wisdom
Can dispel darkness.
Caring about one’s own corporality
Does little benefit to the world.
Thus cowries I present
As an offering to this stupa.
At that moment, the twenty cowries moved from the stupa to
the feet of King As'oka. The minister was greatly surprised at
the sight, and he said, “As this arhat had the mental power to
live with few desires, he refused to accept alms even after his
nirvana.”
Upagupta then took Ring Asoka to the stupa of Ananda and
said, ‘Tour Majesty, this is the stupa of Ananda, to which offerings
should be made. He was the attendant disciple of the Tathagata
and could remember the Buddha’s sayings. The Buddha said that
among his disciples Ananda was the foremost in hearing his
sayings.” Then he uttered the following stanza:
This elder Ananda,
Honored by men and heavenly beings,
Always keeping the Buddha’s bowl,
Possessed the mind of intelligence.
He heard as much as the great sea;
What he spoke were words of subtlety.
Understanding the Buddha’s meanings,
Comprehending all the Dharma,
Being the storehouse of merits,
He was praised by the World-honored Buddha.
King Asoka offered one crore of taels of gold to the stupa of
Ananda, and his minister asked him, “Why did you present the
largest offering to this stupa?” Ring Asoka replied, “Listen to me.”
The Dharmakaya (Body of Truth) of the World-honored
Buddha
Is pure without parallel.
This he could accept and uphold.
Thus I offer the best gift to him.
He lit the lamp of the Buddha’s teaching
To dispel the darkness of distress.
By his power the Dharma is abiding;
Thus I offer the best gift to him.
As the water in an ox track
Is not comparable to the great sea,
The water of the wisdom of Ananda
Is not comparable to the sea of the Buddha’s wisdom.
In the Sutras the Buddha ascended the throne
Together with him.
That is why I offer the best gift to him today.
After having made the offerings, King As'oka was greatly pleased.
He worshipped at Upagupta’s feet and uttered the following stanza:
In my present human life,
I did not lose the fruit of a good deed.
It is by the power of my previous merits
That I have become a king of sovereignty.
Through what was falsity,
I gained the Dharma of reality.
Relic-stupas of the World-honored One
Adorn this mundane world.
But in the practice of austerity
Nothing have I yet done.
After worshipping at Upagupta’s feet, King As'oka returned to his
own country.
------------------------------------------------------
Chapter III
139b
The Causes of Making Offerings
to the Bodhi Tree
King Asoka offered a hundred thousand taels of gold each to the
place where the Buddha was born, the place where he attained
enlightenment, the place where he turned the Wheel of the Dharma,
and the place where he entered nirvana. In the Bodhi tree, however, he felt the most faith and joy, and he pondered that as this
was the place where the World-honored One had attained supreme
perfect enlightenment he should offer the best gems and jewels to
the tree every day.
King Asoka’s first lady, Tisyaraksita by name, was angry
about it. “If the great king loves me, why should he give all
the best gems and jewels to the Bodhi tree?” She called in a
candali (outcaste) maid and said to her, “The Bodhi tree is what
I hate. Can you destroy it for me?” The maid said in reply,
“Yes, I can, but you must pay me in gold.” The lady said, “Let it be
so.”
The candali maid cursed the tree with incantations and bound
it with a cord, and so the tree withered away gradually. Someone
reported it to the king, saying, “The Bodhi tree is dying away
gradually.” And he uttered the following stanza:
Under the Bodhi tree the Buddha sat,
Becoming omniscient in the world
And gaining the wisdom of all knowledge.
But the tree is now dying.
Upon hearing these words, the king fainted and fell to the ground.
He recovered himself after his ministers sprinkled water on him
for a long while. Sobbing and shedding tears, he uttered the
following stanza:
When I see this king of trees,
It is like seeing the Tathagata.
If it withers away,
My life will also expire.
On seeing that the king was so anxious and worried, the lady said
to him, “If I cannot revive the Bodhi tree, then I also cannot please
Your Majesty.” The king said in reply, “If you can revive the Bodhi
tree, then you are not a woman. Why? Because this is the place
where the Buddha attained supreme perfect enlightenment.”
The lady called the candali maid and said to her, “Can you
restore the tree to grow as before?” The maid replied, “If the root
of the Bodhi tree is not dead, I can rejuvenate the tree to grow
again.” Then the candali maid unloosed the cord with which she
had bound the tree and dug a ditch around it. Every day she
poured milk into the ditch to irrigate the tree, and in a few days it
gradually revived and became alive as it was before. The people
reported it to the king, saying, ‘Your Majesty has done a great
meritorious deed. The Bodhi tree is growing again.” Upon hearing
these words, the king was very happy, and he went to the Bodhi
tree and gazed at it without blinking. Then he uttered the following stanza:
Beginning from King Bimbisara,
To the kings of different times,
None of them could perform
These two supreme causes:
To water this tree of enlightenment
With milk of good color and fragrance.
I also present gifts
To the holy monks of the five sects.
King Asoka filled a thousand golden, silver, and lapis lazuli bottles
with scented water and carried different kinds of food, drink, and
flowers to bathe the tree with the scented water contained in the
thousand bottles. He also draped the tree with silk draperies of
different colors. At that time the king also observed the Eight
Precepts. After receiving the Eight Precepts, he ascended the
audience hall with a thurible in his hand and invited the monks of
the four quarters, saying, “May all the disciples of the Worldhonored One in the four quarters come here to take me in to
i 39c the teachings of the Buddha!” And he also uttered the following
stanza:
The sons of the Sugata of right conduct,
Whose sense organs are pure and free from desires,
Worthy of worship and great fields of blessedness,
Are refuges for men and Devas.
The supreme sons of the Sugata
Are free from desires and practice dhyana]
Upon them the Asuras rely;
May they come to take me in.
In the country of Kasmlra,
In the great and secluded woods,
There live many arhats;
May they come to take me in.
The sons of the Tathagata rejoicing in dhyana
Live at Lake Anavatapta,
Beside rivers, and in caves on the hills;
May they come with pity for me.
The sons of the Tathagata with good words
Live in the halls of sariras (relics)
With minds of compassion free from worries;
May they come to take me in.
Possessing divine powers of great bravery,
Living on Mount Gandhamadana,
Are the arhats I invite;
May they all come to this site.
When King Asoka had uttered this stanza, three hundred thousand bhiksus, of whom a hundred thousand were harmonious
arhats and two hundred thousand were learners, and numerous
zealous ordinary people, gathered together, but nobody among
the Sangha took the chief seat. King Asoka said to the Elder
Yasas, who possessed the six supernatural powers, “Why is it
that nobody is sitting on the first seat?” The Elder replied,
“Because it is the seat for the chief Elder.” The king said again,
“Is there anybody even higher than Your Reverence?” The Elder
replied, ‘Yes. The Buddha said that among his disciples the
foremost in preaching, like the roar of a lion, was the person
surnamed Bharadvaja and named Pindola. The chief seat is for
him.”
Upon hearing these words, King Asoka was so excited that his
hair stood on end like kadamba flowers. He said, “Most Virtuous
One, is there any bhiksu who saw the Buddha before he entered
nirvana and is still living now?” The Elder replied, Yes, the
person who is surnamed Bharadvaja and named Pindola saw the
Buddha.” The king then inquired, “But can I see him today?” The
Elder said in reply, You will see him in a moment; he is coming
now.” The king was greatly pleased to hear these words and
uttered the following stanza:
A great benefit I shall gain,
And I shall be converted in a peerless way
By seeing one of great virtue;
Pindola is his name.
King Asoka put his hands palm to palm and looked at the air
140a without moving his eyes for a moment. Then Pindola, followed by
innumerable arhats surrounding him in a group shaped like a
crescent moon, descended from the air like a king goose and sat on
the first seat.
At that time, King Asoka saw the arrival of Pindola Bharadvaja; and all the bhiksus from the ten quarters stood up from
their seats. He saw that Pindola had silvery hair and that the
skin of his forehead as well as his eyebrows were hanging
down over his face in the manner of a pratyekabuddha. Upon
seeing him the king prostrated himself, like a big tree falling to
the ground, to worship Pindola. He kissed the monk’s feet,
knelt before him with his hands joined palm to palm, and
looked at him shedding tears, while he uttered the following
stanza:
The earth has the sea as its garment,
With mountains as canopies for its adornment.
Having done away with my foes,
I, Asoka, owned this earth,
Which made me delighted with pleasure.
Even more am I delighted today,
To meet you, a great virtuous man.
As I see you today,
I feel doubly happy in my mind.
He also asked, “Did you, Reverend Sir, ever see the World-honored
One?”
Pindola parted his long eyebrows with both hands to look at
King Asoka and uttered the following stanza:
I saw the Tathagata several times,
The peerless and unparalleled one
Who possessed the thirty-two marks,
Whose face was like the autumnal full moon,
Whose pure voice dissolved affliction,
Entering the samadhi of non-disputation.
King Asoka inquired again, “Where and how did Your Reverence
see the Buddha?” The Elder said in reply, ‘Your Majesty, the
World-honored One stayed at first in the city of Rajagrha with a
following of five hundred passion-free arhats. As I was among the
group, I had the opportunity to see him.” Then he uttered the
following stanza:
The passion-free Mahamuni
Was followed by passion-free arhats.
When they were staying there,
I could see him by good chance.
Just as you see me today,
I saw the Buddha in the same way.
“Again, Your Majesty, the World-honored One, in order to subdue
the heretics, once manifested in the country of Sravasti various
supernatural powers and appeared as numerous metamorphosed
Buddhas with dignified physical marks and signs, ascending one
heaven after another up to the Akanistha heaven. I was also
present on that occasion and witnessed the different divine transformations of the Buddha.” Then he uttered the following stanza:
There were many heretics,
Practicing different erroneous ways.
The World-honored One subdued them
With his supernormal powers.
I saw the Buddha at that time,
Giving the world happiness.
“Again, Your Majesty, after staying for the summer retreat in the
Thirty-three heavens to preach the Dharma to his mother, the
World-honored One, surrounded by heavenly beings, descended to
the country of Samkasya. As I was then among the congregation,
I saw the heavenly beings, and I saw the bhiksunl named
Utpalavarnika transforming herself into the form of a cakravartin
king possessing all of the seven kinds of treasures.” He then
uttered the following stanza:
After his rainy season retreat in Heaven,
The Buddha descended from there.
As I was among the congregation,
I had the chance to see the Buddha.
“Again, Your Majesty, once Sumagadha, daughter of Anathapindada, invited the Buddha and five hundred arhats. The Buddha
went by his divine power to the country of Pundravardhana, while
I, carrying a mountain, also went through the air to the country
by divine power. On that occasion the Tathagata instructed me,
saying, You must not enter nirvana so long as my Dharma abides
in the world.’ ” Pindola then uttered the following stanza:
At the invitation of Sumagadha,
The Buddha went there by divine power.
I followed him to the land of Pundra,
Raising a mountain high by my own power.
The Buddha instructed me on that occasion
To live in the world so long as the Dharma abides.
That was the condition upon which
I was able to see the Buddha.
“Again, Your Majesty, when you were a child in a previous life, you
offered sand with a childish mind to the Buddha, while I offered him
cooked rice, when he entered the city of Rajagrha to collect alms.
Radhagupta rejoiced at the event. The Buddha made a prediction,
saying, ‘A hundred years after my nirvana, this child will become a
cakravartin king with the name of Asoka, rule over one of the four
continents, and be a Dharma King. He will construct eighty-four
thousand Dharmaraja stupas for the enshrinement of relics.’ I was
then among the congregation.” He then uttered the following stanza:
The king was then a child,
When with folded hands he offered sand.
I was there at that moment
And witnessed the event.
King Asoka again inquired of Pindola, “Where does Your Reverence
live?” He replied with the following stanza:
North of Lake Anavatapta,
On the mountain Gandhamadana:
I live at that place
With my fellow monks.
King Asoka again asked Pindola, “How many people follow Your
Reverence?” He replied with the following stanza:
Sixty thousand arhats
Follow and surround me.
I and my congregation
Are free from the bane of passion.
“Again, Your Majesty, why are you so inquisitive about these
matters? You should now quickly offer food to the monks. When the
monks have taken their meal, I will talk with you again.” The king
said in reply, “Yes, I shall do as you advise. In order to remember
the Buddha, I should go to see the Bodhi tree. After seeing the
Bodhi tree, I shall offer a meal of different kinds of food and drink
to the monks.”
King Asoka said to a bhiksu named Sarvamitra, “I am going to
offer a hundred thousand taels of gold and a thousand golden,
silver, and lapis lazuli water pots to the monks. Make an announcement in the assembly in my name that this offering is made
to the monks of the five sects.”
At that time King Asoka’s son Kunala was by the right side of
the king. As the prince was in fear of his father, he dared not speak
but raised two fingers to show to the announcer bhiksu that he
would offer twice as many gifts as his father. Upon seeing that
Kunala was going to present twice as many gifts as his father, the
whole assembly laughed merrily. When the king saw that the
assembly was laughing, he said to his minister Radhagupta, ‘You
must have made some mistake that caused the people to laugh.”
Radhagupta said in reply, “As more people are wishing to perform
meritorious deeds, if Your Majesty wishes to do the same, it befits
Your Majesty to offer twice as many gifts as were intended.” King
Asoka said in reply, “I shall offer three hundred thousand taels
of gold to the monks and fill three thousand precious water pots
with scented water to irrigate the Bodhi tree. Make an announcement in my name that the gifts are offered to the monks of the five
sects.”
Kunala then raised four fingers to show to the bhiksus. Greatly
enraged, the king said to the minister Radhagupta, “Now I am
performing meritorious deeds. Who is so ignorant of worldly decorum as to compete with me?” On seeing that the king was getting
angry, Radhagupta saluted him at his feet and told him who dared
to compete with him in the performance of meritorious deeds by
uttering the following stanza:
Who dares to compete with the king
In the act of merit making?
It is no one else but Kunala
Who is competing with the monarch.
When Asoka turned to his right he saw Prince Kunala and said to
Pindola, “Most Virtuous One, with the exception of my treasure
house in which are stored the seven kinds of precious things, I offer
everything, including all my land, palace attendants, ministers, as
well as myself and Kunala, to the Sangha. Make an announcement
in my name to the assembly that I offer everything to the monks
of the five sects.” And he also uttered the following stanza:
Everything in my palace,
Excepting my treasures,
But including attendants and courtiers,
I offer to the monks.
The monks of the congregation
Are fields of blessing.
I and my prince
Shall gain merits.
i 4ia After having presented alms to Pindola and all the monks in the
assembly, King Asoka constructed a wall around the Bodhi tree.
He personally climbed up to the top of the wall and poured four
thousand water pots of scented water to irrigate the tree, which
started to grow as before. And he uttered the following stanza:
I shall irrigate the Bodhi tree,
Which is now growing again,
With rich boughs and foliage,
And more merits shall I gain.
Having been watered by the king, the Bodhi tree started to grow
as before, with green and pliant branches and leaves, and it
unfolded new buds, to the great delight of the king and his ministers and people. Food and drink were then offered to the monks.
In the assembly there was a monk of great virtue by the name
of Yasas, who said to the king, “This assembly of monks is truly to
be adored and respected. You should make offerings to it without
a mind of discrimination.” King Asoka served food to the monks
with his own hands, from the highest in order to the last one. At
the end of the order there were two novices who made joy buns out
of cooked rice and threw them to each other for fun. King Asoka
was amused to see them and thought that the two novices were
playing like children.
The king went again to serve the chief monk with food and
gradually came to the presence of Yasas, who said to him, ‘Your
Majesty should not harbor any feeling of disbelief towards any
monk in the assembly.” The king consented, but he told the Elder
Yasas that two novices were having fun with cooked rice. Yasas
said in reply, “Those two novices are arhats, having gained freedom of mind and wisdom.” The king was greatly delighted to hear
this.
Then he thought in his mind, “Now that I have offered food to
the monks, I should get some good robes to offer to the two
novices.” Having read the mind of the king, one of the novices
produced by his power of merits an iron vessel and placed it before
him, while the other one produced gandha-jala (fragrant water)
and other things. When the king saw these things, he asked,
“What is the use of these things?” They replied, “Since Your
Majesty wishes to present us with separate gifts of robes after
offering food to the monks, we intend to dye the new robes.” Upon
hearing these words, the king thought in his mind, “I was just
thinking within my mind and did not say anything. How did these
persons come to know my mind?” Then he prostrated himself on
the ground to worship at the feet of the two novices and uttered
the following stanza to them:
I, king of the Maurya clan,
And my courtiers and men
Have done deeds of merit
And gained great benefits.
I have faith in zealousness
And have given what I can in alms.
i4ib King Asoka said to the two novices, “On your account, I shall offer
three robes to each of the monks in the assembly.” So, after having
performed meritorious deeds for the monks of the five sects, King
Asoka also presented three robes to each of them, besides offering
four hundred thousand taels of gold to them. He also paid a large
amount of gold and silver to redeem his land, palace attendants,
and ministers, as well as himself and Kunala.

The Causes of Vitasoka
King Asoka had a mind of deep faith in the Buddha-dharma. After
constructing eighty-four thousand stupas, he convened an assembly of monks of the five sects, to whom he offered food and drink.
There were in the assembly three hundred thousand arhats, twice
as many learners, and innumerable zealous ordinary people, in
whom the king had double faith.
At that time, King Asoka’s younger brother, Vitasoka, believed
in the dharma of the heretics, and he said, “None of Sakyamuni’s
disciples has attained emancipation. Why? Because they always
take delight in a pleasurable way of life and dread asceticism.”
King Asoka said to his younger brother, “Do not fix your faith in
the wrong place. You should believe in the Buddha-dharma.”
At another time when King Asoka went out hunting, his
younger brother saw a hermit in the mountains who was scorching
himself with heat from five directions while earnestly practicing
asceticism. Vitasoka went up to worship at his feet and said, “Most
Virtuous One, how long have you been staying here?” The hermit
said in reply, “Twelve years.” The prince asked again, “What food
do you eat?” The hermit answered, “I often eat the fruits and roots
of trees.” The prince again inquired, “What clothes do you wear?”
The hermit replied, “I weave cogon grass to make myself a robe.”
“What about your bedding?” asked the prince. “I spread grass on
the ground,” answered the hermit. The prince asked again, “What
makes you feel so distressed?” The hermit replied, “When I saw
two deer mating, the sight aroused my lustful desire; and the fire
of lustful desire is burning in my heart.” Then Vitasoka entertained a doubt in his mind and reflected, “Even this ascetic ha

lustful desire, so how could the disciples of the Buddha, always
living a pleasurable life, be free from passion if they saw the same
sight? If they have desire in their minds, how could they cherish
the notion of detesting and forsaking desire?” And he uttered the
following stanza:
The hermit in the wood of mortification,
Living upon fruits, roots, and flowers,
Breathing air without taking foul nutrition,
Cannot quell his carnal desire.
Sons of Sakyamuni Buddha
Eat milk foods and butter,
Wear robes of many types,
And never give up one piece.
If they could keep their senses under control,
Mount Vaidurya would be able to float.
i4ic King Asoka’s younger brother also said that the Sakya disciples
were cheating the king into performing meritorious deeds. Upon
hearing these words, King Asoka, trying to employ some expedient, said to his minister, “My younger brother believes in the
heretics. We should try to employ some expedient to convert him
to the Buddha-dharma.” In reply to the king, the minister said,
“What does Your Majesty wish me to do?” The king told him, “Now
I am going to the bathroom to take a bath. I shall take off my crown
and garments. You may dress my younger brother in my costume
and ask him to ascend the throne.” The minister said in reply,
‘Yes.”
King Asoka then went to the bathroom to take off his ornaments, and after the king had entered the bathroom, the minister
said to his younger brother, ‘You would have been king if it had not
been for Asoka. Now you may try to put on this crown and the royal
garments and ascend the throne.” Having said so, the minister
dressed the prince in the king’s garments and caused him to
ascend the throne.
The minister then reported to King Asoka, saying, ‘Your servant has carried out the order of Your Majesty.” King Asoka c
to see his younger brother, who was wearing the crown and sitting
on the throne, and said to him, “So you have assumed kingship
even when I am not dead!” In a fit of rage the king called in the
executioner, a fellow dressed in dark blue with dishevelled hair
and holding a bell in his hand. Having come into the presence of
the king, the executioner paid homage to him and said, “What do
you wish me to do?” The king said, “I have discarded this younger
brother of mine. You may kill him.” When the king had said this,
a group of people holding weapons in their hands came up to
surround the prince.
At that moment the minister saluted the king’s feet and said
to him, “This is Your Majesty’s younger brother, and I beg Your
Majesty to have patience and not to be angry with him.” King
Asoka said to the minister in reply, “I shall be patient with him for
seven days. As he is my younger brother, I shall give him the
kingdom temporarily, allow him to be king for seven days, and
provide him with various musicians and maids of honor for his
amusement. All people should come to pay respects to him.”
Standing at the gate with a knife in hand, the executioner
announced to the king every day, “One day has passed. There will
be six days more!” [and so on.] So on the sixth day, he announced
that there remained only one more day. On the seventh day, the
royal ornaments, crown, and garments were returned to King
Asoka. The minister and other people took Vitasoka to see the
king, who asked him, “During the seven days of your kingship, how
did you enjoy the pleasant music and various kinds of amusement?” In reply, the king’s brother uttered the following stanza:
He who has seen the beauties,
Heard the melodies,
And tasted the delicacies
May answer your inquiries.
The king said again, “I gave you the kingdom so that you were king
for seven days, and you enjoyed all kinds of amusement to your
142a heart’s content, while numerous people came every day to pay
homage and express good wishes to you. How can you say that you
did not see, hear, or taste anything delightful?” In reply, the prince
again uttered the following stanza:
In the last seven days
I neither saw nor heard anything,
Nor did I smell or taste flavor.
I could not feel the touch
Of the ornaments I was wearing,
Or of the charming maids who were attending.
As I was thinking of dreadful death,
I lost the sensations of these things.
The songs of the nautch girls dancing,
The palaces and bedding,
The land and all the treasures,
Aroused in me no pleasure.
I only saw the executioner
Standing at the gate with his cleaver.
I also heard the sound of his bell
That reminded me of the knell.
The nail of death reached my heart
And rendered me numb to the five pleasures.
Being ill with fear of departing,
I could not sleep with composure.
While I thought death was approaching,
The night elapsed without my knowing.
King Asoka then said to his younger brother, “Vltasoka, as you
were thinking of the pains of death just for one day, you did not
attach yourself to the five best pleasures that were provided for
you. In the same way, the homeless bhiksus meditate on the
impermanence of the countless births and deaths on the basis of
the twelve entrances. How can they have any passions? They also
meditate on the pains of the hells and of the animals cruelly killing
one another, on the hungry ghosts suffering from hunger and
thirst, and on men always rushing about without ease to all places
for a living, and also on the pains of the heavenly beings at the
stage of decadence. All beings in these five ways of existence are
suffering mentally and physically without happiness. The bhiksus
also consider that all the five skandhas are impermanent, painful, void, egoless, and unsubstantial, just like an empty village
without inhabitants. As the five skandhas are void and without an ego, the world is burning with the fire of impermanence.
Since the Buddha’s disciples always contemplate in this way, how
can they have any passions?” And he also uttered the following
stanza:
Just for a single day
You pondered on the fear of death
Without joy and pleasure
Nor with a mind of attachment.
The disciples of the Buddha
Contemplate birth and death every day.
How can they have joy and pleasure
And harbor minds of delusion?
On their food and garments,
As well as on their bedding,
They meditate upon how to gain liberation,
Free from mental attachment.
They see the corporeal body as an enemy,
The three realms as a house on fire.
They think of expedients
By which to gain emancipation.
Taking deep delight in the law of liberation,
They crave none of the five desires.
Their minds resemble lotus flowers
Standing in water without getting wet.
King Asoka employed this good expedient to convert Vltasoka to
the Buddha-dharma, and Vltasoka, with folded hands, said to the
king, ‘Your Majesty, I now take refuge in the Tathagata as well as
his Dharma and the Sangha.” And he also uttered the following
stanza:
I take refuge in the Buddha,
Whose face resembles a lotus flower,
A shelter for divine and human beings.
I also submit to the pure Dharma and the Sangha.
King Asoka then embraced his younger brother’s neck and said to
him, “I do not discard you. It was for the sake of converting you to
the Buddha-dharma that I adopted this expedient.”
Vitas'oka offered various kinds of flowers and incense with
the performance of music to the Buddha-stupas, and he also presented different kinds of food and drink as alms to the monks.
Then he went to Kukkuta Monastery, where the Elder Yas'as,
an arhat possessing the six supernatural powers, was residing.
Upon arriving at the monastery, he sat face to face with Yasas,
wishing to hear the Dharma from him. With his supernormal
powers, Yasas perceived that Vltasoka had done good deeds in
his previous lives and that this was his last birth with a corporeal body, as he would attain arhatship. The Elder preached
the Dharma and praised the renunciation of home life. After
hearing the Dharma, Vltasoka wished to renounce his home life
and said to Yasas with folded hands, ‘You have preached the
Dharma and Vinaya (disciplinary rules) well. May I renounce my
home to be a fully ordained monk? I wish to lead a life of celibacy
according to the Buddha-dharma.” Yasas said in reply, “Good man,
you may go back to ask King Asoka whether he permits you to
renounce your home.” Vltasoka returned to King Asoka and
said to him with folded hands, “May Your Majesty allow me to
renounce the home life, as I wish to lead a life of celibacy according to the Buddha-dharma.” And he also uttered the following
stanza:
My mind is confused in distraction,
Like an unhooked elephant.
The king’s will is an iron hook.
Do not stop me from leaving home.
The king is the lord of the earth,
And should allow me to leave my hearth.
For this world the Buddha is a ray,
And I wish to go along his Way.
Upon hearing these words, King Asoka embraced his younger
brother’s neck and said with tears and sobbing, “Vitasoka, do not
conceive such an idea. Why? Because the monks wear coarse and
shabby clothes, eat what is given by others, and sleep under trees.
i42c Now stop thinking about becoming a monk.” Vitasoka said in reply,
“Your Majesty, I wish to become a monk not out of hatred, or
craving, or poverty, or to evade some enemy. It is simply because I
see that this world is full of pain and continual rebirths without
emancipation, and I see that the Buddha-dharma is the only right
path leading to freedom from rebirth without fear. So I wish to
become a monk with pleasure.” King Asoka sobbed more piteously
when he heard these words. Vitasoka then uttered the following
stanza:
Rebirth is like a rope hanging,
Man is on it always swinging.
What is on it will drop down.
From union separation comes.
King Asoka then said to his younger brother, “Before becoming a
monk, you have to practice begging for alms.” In the royal garden
at the back of the palace, there was a big tree, under which grass
was spread on the ground to provide a place for Vitasoka to stay.
An earthen bowl was given to him so that he could beg alms from
the palace. With begging bowl in hand, he went to the palace,
where he obtained different varieties of the choicest food. The king
became angry with the palace attendants and said to them, “Why
do you give the best food to the mendicant? From now on you
should give him coarse food.” Thus wheat was cooked and kept for
a night and then given to him when it had turned sour. Vitasoka
accepted the food and ate it without feeling disgusted. At this
sight, King Asoka said to him, “Stop taking this food. I permit you
to become a monk; but after becoming a monk, you should often
come to see me.”
Then Vitasoka went to the Kukkuta Monastery, and when
he reached there, he thought that if he became a monk at that
place the people and environment would distract his mind from
cultivating the Way, and that he should go to become a monk at
some distant place. So he travelled to the country of Videha, where
he became a monk and engaged himself in meditation vigorously
until he attained arhatship.
Having attained arhatship, the Elder Vitasoka enjoyed the
bliss of emancipation and thought that as he had made an agreement with the king to see him often after becoming a monk, he
should fulfill his promise.
Then he travelled by easy stages to the country of Pataliputra.
Early in the morning, the Elder Vitasoka dressed himself and
went to the city with his begging bowl to collect alms. He went from
house to house and then to the palace of King Asoka, where he said
to the gatekeeper, “Go in and inform the king that Vitasoka is
outside the gate, wishing to see His Majesty.” The gatekeeper went
in and informed the king, saying, “Vitasoka has arrived and
wishes to see Your Majesty.” King Asoka said to the gatekeeper,
‘You may bring him into the palace.” Vitasoka then entered the
palace, and upon seeing him, King Asoka rose from his throne and
143a prostrated himself, like a great tree falling on the ground, in order
to worship him. Then he stood up and gazed at him with his hands
joined palm to palm without feeling weariness. He uttered the
following stanza with tears of emotion:
All living beings are happy
To live in a harmonious family.
But you renounced your home
To live a life quiet and calm.
Now I understand your mind.
With no amount of wisdom are you content.
At that time, the minister Sugupta saw that Vitasoka wore a robe
made of cast-off rags. He carried an earthen bowl, went from house
to house to collect alms, and without distinguishing in his mind
accepted whatever food, coarse or fine, was given him. He said to
King Asoka, “Vitasoka is content, with few desires, and has accomplished what he aimed to achieve. Your Majesty ought to be happy
about it.” Why?
He, always practicing alms-begging,
Wearing cast-off rag clothing,
Living beneath a tree,
Has a mind in constant samàdhi.
His mind is broad without leakage;
His body is free from malady;
Leading a righteous life,
He is always cheerful.
King Asoka was greatly pleased to hear these words, and he
uttered the following stanza:
You abandoned the Maurya clan,
The kingdom of Magadha,
Precious jewels of every kind,
And the best enjoyment of the five desires.
You rejoice at the four noble truths,
Free from arrogance, pride, and distress,
Practicing the Way with great diligence.
My country is glorified by your eminence.
The supreme Dharma, the ten powers
You are qualified to possess.
King Asoka helped him to the seat of honor and served different
kinds of food and drink to him with his own hands. After the meal,
his eating bowl was washed and put aside. King Asoka sat before
him to listen to his preaching, and in the course of preaching,
Vitasoka uttered the following stanza:
Mental freedom you have now gained;
Non-laxity should also be attained.
The Three Treasures are not easy to meet.
Offerings should often be made to them.
King Asoka and five hundred courtiers, together with the people
of the country, surrounded Vitasoka respectfully with folded hands
to send him off. The courtiers and people uttered the following
stanza:
King Asoka, the elder brother,
Sends off the younger one with respect.
The supreme fruit of renunciation
Is now fully realized.
In order to reveal his merits, the Elder Vitasoka soared into the
143b air, and all the people saw his departure. King Asoka and the
multitude, folding their hands palm to palm, witnessed the event
with fixed gaze, and [Asoka] uttered the following stanza:
Without fraternal affection,
Like a bird you fly through the air.
I am bound by love and passion,
Unable to go as freely as I care.
The supreme fruit of meditation
Gives freedom to the body.
You may go anywhere at your discretion,
Without any impediment whatsoever.
Being blinded by lust and desire,
I could not see the Dharma.
By your supernormal powers,
You lifted me from lustful desire.
I was proud of my wisdom,
But you are the wisest of all.
We are attached to the world,
Not fearing it until we see the saint.
We are weeping and shedding tears,
Because you are leaving us forever.
Then the Elder Vitasoka repaired to a borderland, and upon
reaching there he fell so seriously ill that his head was covered
with boils. The king, hearing about it, dispatched attendants and
physicians to cure him. When he was a little better some time
later, both the physicians and the attendants were sent back. As
he needed only milk for his nourishment, he went for convenience
of begging alms to live at a place where there were many cows.
There was then a country called Punyavardhana, where all the
people believed in heretics. One man who followed the heretical
dharma worshipped a naked god painted in the shape of the
Tathagata and paid homage to it at its feet. A Buddhist disciple
saw this matter and reported it to Kang Asoka. After hearing it, the
king ordered that the man be brought into his presence. Now
within the domain of King Asoka, all the Yaksas (demons) in the
air up to the height of half a yojana were under his control, and all
the Nagas one yojana below the earth also belonged to him. Upon
hearing the order of the king, the Yaksas in an instant brought the
heretical disciple and his picture into the presence of the king.
Being greatly enraged by the sight, he had all the heretics of
Punyavardhana killed; and one hundred eight thousand heretics
were slaughtered in one day.
There was another heretical follower who accepted a heretical
dharma, worshipped a naked god painted in the shape of the
Tathagata, and paid it homage at its feet. When King Asoka heard
about it, he again ordered his men to arrest that man and his
relations, all of whom were put in a house, which was then set on
fire. The king also issued a decree, saying, “If anyone can get the
head of a Nirgrantha, I shall award him a piece of gold.”
At that time, the Elder Vltasoka came to a place where cows
i43c were reared and spent one day there. As he had been sick for many
days, his hair and beard were long, his nails were sharp, and he
was wearing a coarse garment without color or brilliance. A cowherd woman thought in her mind, “Here comes a Nirgrantha to our
house.” And then she said to her husband, ‘You can kill this
Nirgrantha and send his head to King Asoka, and you will surely
get a gold coin.” The husband, hearing this, unsheathed his sword
and went to Vltasoka with the intention of decapitating him. The
elder, reflecting that nowhere could one escape from one’s retribution, faced death as it befell him. His head was then sent to King
Asoka by the man wishing to win the reward of gold.
When the king saw that the hair on the head was of an
attractive variegated color, he had a suspicion in his mind
and inquired of the physicians and attendants about it. They
said to the king, “This is the head of Vltasoka!” Upon hearing these
words, the king fainted and fell to the ground. When water was
sprinkled on him, he recovered and got to his feet after a long
while.
A minister said to the king, “Even a man who is perfectly free
from passions is not spared from this suffering. It befits Your
Majesty to grant freedom from fear to living beings.” Asoka followed this advice and issued an order that no Nirgranthas should
be killed any more.
Then the bhiksus had a doubt about it and inquired of Upagupta,
“What deed did Vltasoka commit in the past, that he suffered this
retribution of being murdered by another?”
Upagupta said in reply, “Elders, listen. In the past there was
a hunter who killed many herds of deer. In the great forest there
was a spring where the hunter spread his net and tied the rope
beside the water. In this way he killed many deer every day. That
was a time when the Buddha was not yet born in the world. One
day apratyekabuddha took his meal beside the water. After taking
his meal, he bathed and went to sit underneath a tree. All the deer,
smelling the fragrance of the pratyekabuddha, did not go to the
waterside. When the hunter came and did not see any deer, he
traced the footmarks and came to the pratyekabuddha. On seeing
him, the hunter thought in his mind, ‘It is because of this man
sitting here that the deer did not come.’ Thereupon he killed the
pratyekabuddha with a knife. You should know, Elders, that that
hunter of bygone days was today’s Vltasoka. As he had killed many
deer every day in the past, he suffered various ailments in his
present life. His murder of the pratyekabuddha caused him to
suffer pains of every description in hells for innumerable years. He
was always killed each of the five hundred times he was born as a
human being. This was his last birth; but even though he had
attained arhatship, he was still murdered by a man.”
The bhiksus again asked Upagupta, “But how did this person
come to be born into a great clan and attain arhatship?” Upagupta
said in reply, “Formerly, when he became a monk in the Dharma
i44a of Kasyapa Buddha, he loved to give alms and often advised lay
supporters to offer various kinds of food and drink to the Sangha.
There was then a stupa containing the Buddha’s hair and nail
relics, to which he offered incense, flowers, banners, and canopies,
as well as different kinds of musical performances. It was because
of this karma that he was born into a great clan. And for a hundred
thousand years he constantly practiced celibacy with a right vow,
on account of which he attained arhatship.”

Chapter IV
The Causes of Kunala

King Asoka constructed eighty-four thousand stupas in one day,
and on that day his wife Padmavati gave birth to a son with
regular features and particularly beautiful eyes. No one saw him
but loved him. A palace attendant reported to the king that by the
merits of the king, his wife had given birth to a son. The king was
pleased to hear this news and uttered the following stanza:
I am today
Greatly pleased.
My clan of Maurya
Is well known to all.
May my son in the palace
Increase the Dharma!
Thus the child was named Dharmavivardhana (Dharma-increasing).
Then he was carried in to be shown to the king, who was glad to
see him and uttered the following stanza:
Beautiful are the eyes of my son,
Created by merits previously done.
Bright and very brilliant,
Resembling utpala (blue lotus) flowers,
These eyes of merit
Adorn his features.
His face is regular and dignified,
Like a full moon in the season of autumn.
King Asoka assembled his ministers and said to them, “Have you
ever seen eyes such as those of this child?” The ministers said in
63
Chapter IV
144b
reply, “We have really never seen such eyes among human beings.
But in the Snow Mountains there is a kind of bird called a kunala
whose eyes resemble the eyes of this child.” And they uttered the
following stanza:
On top of the Snow Mountains,
At the place of precious flowers,
The birds called kunala
Stay in their nests.
The eyes of this child
Resemble those of the bird.
The king then ordered, “Bring that bird here.” The Yaksas in the air
up to the height of half a yojana heard the king’s words, and the
Nagas one yojana below also heard his words. In an instant, the
Yaksas brought a bird to the king, who compared its eyes with the
eyes of his son and found no difference between them. Thus he gave
the child the name of the bird and uttered the following stanza:
The king of men on the earth
Uses the name of kunala,
With most beautiful eyes,
As his son’s name,
So that on this earth,
His fame will spread far.
When Kunala had grown up, he was given a lady named Kancanamala to be his wife. Once King Asoka brought him to Kukkuta
Monastery, where lived an elderly monk by the name of Yasas, an
arhat possessing the six supernatural powers. At that moment
Yasas foresaw that before long Kunala would lose his eyes. So he
said to the king, ‘W hy do you not ask Kunala to do his own deeds?”
King Asoka said to Kunala, “The Most Virtuous One asks you to do
what you should do. You should follow him.” Then Kunala worshipped at Yasas’ feet and said to him, “Most Virtuous One, teach
me what I should do.” Yasas said in reply, “Eyes are impermanent.
You should meditate on this.” And he also uttered the following
stanza:
64
The Causes of Kunala
You, Kunala,
Should meditate on the eyes
As impermanent with the pain of illness,
Where all things converge.
Ordinary people have upside-down views,
Giving rise to what is wrong.
Kunala then sat alone at a quiet place in the palace to meditate
that the eyes and other sense organs were painful and impermanent. King Asoka’s chief wife Tisyaraksita went to Kunala and saw
that he was sitting alone. When she saw his eyes, a surge of lustful
desire arose in her mind and she embraced him with her arms
while she uttered the following stanza:
A strong fire of love
Is burning in my heart,
Like flames licking a dry vine.
Come, you, to satisfy my mind.
When Kunala heard these words of hers, he plugged his ears with
his hands and uttered the following stanza:
At this place of mine,
No such words should be said.
You are a mother to me,
And I am a son to you.
Passions of this illegal kind
Should be put far away.
Why should you for this matter
Open the gate to the evil way?
144c As Tisyaraksita’s desire was not satisfied, she became angry and
resentful and uttered the following stanza:
I fixed my mind of love upon you,
But you have no love in your mind.
Since you dislike me,
You will soon be wiped out.
Kunala said in reply:

I would rather die
For the Dharma of purity than live.
I would not stay in life
With a mind of obscenity.
One who has an evil mind
Loses the good Dharma of Devas and men.
If the good Dharma becomes imperfect,
On what will one’s life depend?
Tisyaraksita kept a constant watch over him with the intention
of killing him. There was then in the north a country named
Taksasila, which rebelled against King Asoka’s orders. When the
king heard about it, he intended to go there himself, but his
ministers said to him, “Kunala should be ordered to go. There is
no need for you to go yourself.” King Asoka summoned Kunala
and said to him, “You should go to that country.” Kunala replied
to the king, “So be it.” King Asoka also uttered the following
stanza:
At this moment,
I heard him saying, “So be it.”
Though he is my son,
He is also my heart.
As I remember him in my mind,
He is more lovely to me.
King Asoka then had the roads repaired. All corpses were removed
and all aged and sick people were ordered to keep out of sight. The
king rode in the same carriage with Kunala to see him off. When
they were about to part near the road, he embraced his son’s neck
and shed tears on seeing Kunala’s lovely eyes, while he said:
If anyone sees
Kunala’s lovely eyes
And is pleased,
All his ailments will be eased.
At that time, a Brahman physiognomist foresaw that Kunala
would soon lose his eyes. On seeing that the king was gazing at his
son’s eyes without paying attention to anything else, he uttered
the following stanza:
The prince has eyes of purity;
When the king sees them he feels happy.
Bright and beautiful are his eyes.
Why should they be lost?
All the people in this country,
When they see Kunala’s eyes,
Feel pleased,
As if enjoying heavenly bliss.
If they see him lose his eyes,
They will all be distressed.
i45a Kunala then gradually proceeded to the country of Taksasila. The
people of that country, hearing about it, went out half a yojana to
repair and decorate the road. They placed water everywhere in
anticipation of the coming multitude. The people uttered the following stanza:
The people of Taksasila
Hold water in precious jars
And other offerings
To greet Prince Kunala.
When the prince arrived, the people folded their hands and said to
him, “We do not come to meet you to fight, nor do we bear any
grudge against the great king. But the minister sent by the king
to our country governs the state unjustly, and we wish him to be
dismissed from office.” Then the people presented offerings to
Prince Kunala and welcomed him to their country.
King Asoka then fell seriously ill; he vomited out of his mouth,
and filthy fluid oozed from his pores. All the best physicians failed
to cure him. King Asoka said to his ministers, “Recall Kunala. I
shall consecrate him king and hand over the throne to him. Now I
shall cling to this life no more.”
Tisyaraksita thought in her mind, “If Kunala becomes king, I
shall certainly be put to death.” With this reflection in her mind,
she said to King Asoka, “I can cure the king and get rid of the
disease. There is no need to send for any more physicians.” So the
king listened to her words and refused to see any physicians.
Tisyaraksita said to the physicians, “If there is anybody outside,
male or female, who is suffering from the same disease as the king,
you may bring that person in.”
There was then in the country of the Abhlras a man suffering
from the same trouble as the king. The sick man’s wife consulted
a physician and told him the symptoms of her husband’s illness.
The physician said in reply, “Bring the man here. I wish to see
him and write out a prescription for him.” Thus the woman
brought the patient to the physician, who then sent him to the
king’s wife.
The king’s wife put the sick man in a secluded place, had his
abdomen cut open, and extracted both his “raw” and his “ripe”
viscera. In his ripe viscus there was a big worm, and when it moved
upwards vomit was ejected out of the mouth. Excrement was
discharged below when it moved downwards. If it moved sideways,
filthy fluids oozed from the pores. The king’s wife ground some
mallika (jasmine) and placed it beside the worm, but it did not die.
She then put some pippall (long pepper) beside it, and it still did
not die. She again placed some dry ginger near the worm, and it
still did not die. But it died instantly when she placed some garlic
beside it.
The king’s wife reported this matter to the king, saying, “The
king should now eat some garlic, which will cure the disease.”
i45b The king said in reply, “Being a Ksatriya, I should not eat garlic.”
The lady said, “For the sake of your body and life, it should be
taken as medicine.” So King Asoka ate some garlic, and the worm
was then killed and his disease was cured. Thus he became as fit
and lively as before.
After having bathed, King Asoka said to his wife, “Whatever you desire to have now, I shall grant you as you wish.” The
king’s wife said to him, “May the king allow me to be king for seven
days.” The king said to his wife, “If you become king, you will
certainly kill me.” His wife said again, “After seven days, I shall
return the kingship to you.” Thus King Asoka granted her the
request.
The king’s wife reflected, “This is now the right time for
me to punish Kunala.” Then she wrote a false letter in the name
of King Asoka to the people of Taksasila, asking them to gouge
out Kunala’s eyes. In the letter, there was written the following
stanza:
I am now very powerful,
My prestigious name, fearful.
As Kunala, the prince,
Has committed an offence,
Now I order you people
To extract his two eyes.
To perform this matter now
You should take action in haste.
When the royal lady had written this letter, she needed to impress
it with the king’s dental marks. King Asoka was then sleeping, and
as the lady wished to seal the letter she went close to the king. The
king woke up with a start. The lady asked the king, “Why are you
frightened and startled?” The king said in reply to the lady, “I had
an inauspicious dream in which I saw a vulture attempting to
extract Kunala’s eyes. This is why I was startled with fear.” The
lady said in reply, “The king need not be worried. Prince Kunala is
now quite safe and sound.” In the second watch, the king had
another dream; and he was again wakened from sleep with a start.
He said to the lady, “I had another dream as ominous as the first
one.” The lady asked, ‘What was it?” The king said in reply, “I saw
that Kunala had long hair, a beard, and sharp nails; and he was
unable to speak.” The lady said, “He is safe and sound. Do not
worry about him.”
Afterwards when King Asoka fell asleep, the lady stealthily
had the letter impressed with the king’s teeth and had it sent to
the people of Taksasila.
At that time, King Asoka again dreamed that all his teeth had
fallen out. When he had taken a bath early the next morning, he
summoned as a life-and-death matter a physiognomist and
told him everything he had seen in his dream, saying, “You should
read the meaning of my dream.” The physiognomist said in
reply, “If anyone has had such a dream, his son will lose his sight.
That is just like losing one’s son.” Then he uttered the following
stanza:
If anyone dreams that his teeth have fallen out,
His son will lose his sight.
Since one’s son has lost his eyes,
It is the same as losing one’s son.
145c When King Asoka heard these words, he stood up facing the deities
of the four quarters with folded hands and implored their protection with vows, saying:
I take refuge single-heartedly in the Buddha,
In the pure Dharma, and in the Sangha.
All the recluses of this earth
Are most eminent in the world.
May all saintly monks
Extend protection to Kunala.
When the messenger arrived with the letter in the country of
Taksasila, the people of the country, upon seeing the letter, hid it
away and did not give it to Kunala. They had affection for him and
did not wish to cause resentment in his mind. The people also
reflected, “Since the great King Asoka is so fearful that he has
neither esteem nor confidence even in his own son and wishes to
extract his eyes, how can he treat us without malignance?” And
they uttered the following stanza:
Now as regards this Kunala,
He is no different from a great recluse.
Of all living beings
He is the benefactor.
But to him the great king Asoka
Has no mind of compassion,
Let alone to any other beings.
He will spare none from cruelties.
At last the people gave the letter to Kunala. Upon receiving the
letter, Kunala said to the people, “If anyone can extract my eyes,
he may do so at his own discretion.” The people then called in a
candala and said to him, “Extract Kunala’s eyes.” The candala
said with folded hands, “I cannot do that. Why?”
If a man could erase
The full moon’s brilliant light,
He might extract the eyes
From your face, a moon that is bright.
Kunala took off his precious coronet and said to the candala, “If
you can extract my eyes, I shall give this to you.” There was
another man of abominable features marked with the eighteen
marks of ugliness, who said, “I can extract your eyes.”
At that moment Kunala remembered what the most virtuous
Yasas had told him, and he uttered the following stanza:
Things united must be separated:
This is a true saying.
When I think of this teaching,
I know that my eyes are not abiding.
My good teacher of the Way
Is able to benefit me.
What he preaches on the Dharma
Concerns the causes and conditions of suffering.
I always remember and ponder
That everything is impermanent.
This was taught by my teacher,
And I should deeply keep it in mind.
I do not fear the pain,
As I have seen that nothing is everlasting.
In compliance with the king’s order,
You may extract my eyes.
I have already imbibed
The truth of impermanence.
Kunala then said to the ugly man, “You may gouge out one of my
eyes and place it in my palm, as I wish to see it.” When that ugly
man was about to take out Kunala’s eye, numerous people angrily
scolded him and uttered the following stanza:
His eyes are pure and without stain,
Like the moon in the air.
You are extracting his eyes,
As one might pull a lotus from a pond.
Numerous people wailed and wept piteously, while the ugly man
took out Kunala’s eye and put it in his hand. Accepting his eye in
his hand, Kunala uttered the following stanza to it:
Originally, in former times,
You could see all colors.
But at this moment now,
Why can you not see them?
Formerly you caused the seer
To have a mind of attachment;
Now I see that you are not real,
But false and unsubstantial
Like a bubble on water
That is void and without entity.
You are simply powerless
And not independent.
One who sees this point
Will suffer no more pains.
When Kunala was meditating on the impermanence of all dharmas,
he attained the fruition of a srota-dpanna. After having gained the
fruit, he said to the ugly man, ‘You may gouge out my other eye as
you like.” The ugly man then cut out the other eye and placed it in
Kunala’s hand. Although he had lost his eyes of flesh, he obtained
the Eye of Wisdom; and then he uttered the following stanza:
At this moment now,
I forsake my eyes of flesh.
The Eye of Wisdom is hard to gain,
But J. have gained it now.
The king has abandoned me;
I am no more the king’s son.
As I have gained the Dharma,
I am a son of the Dharma King.
Now I have freely fallen
From the palace of suffering,
And also freely ascended
To the palace of the Dharma King.
Knowing that it was Tisyaraksita who wanted to extract his eyes,
Kunala uttered the following stanza:
May the king’s spouse
Always enjoy wealth and bliss.
May she live forever
And never come to an end.
It was through her expedient that
My aim has been gained.
When Kunala’s wife Kancanamala heard that Kunala had lost his
eyes, she went to her husband out of anxiety about him. At a place
where there was a crowd of people, she saw Kunala, who had lost
his eyes and was bleeding. Thus she fainted and fell to the ground,
and people sprinkled water on her to restore her to consciousness.
She wept and uttered the following stanza:
Your eyes were bright and lovable;
When I saw them formerly they were pleasurable.
Now they are apart from your body;
They cause in my mind a great worry.
Kunala said to his wife, “Do not weep. As I have done the deeds,
I am receiving the retribution.” He also uttered the following
stanza:
Everyone in this world
Receives his body according to his deeds.
The body is formed by pains of diverse kinds;
This you should understand.
All sorts of unions
Are bound to end in separation.
This matter you should know.
There is no need to weep with lamentation.
Kunala and his wife then returned to King Asoka’s palace from
the country of Taksasila. As the two of them had never before,
since their birth, walked on the ground, they were so weak
and feeble that they could not bear the hardship of their
labor. Kunala was good at playing the lute as well as singing
and playing wind instruments. They followed the original road
and begged for food to sustain their lives. Gradually they reached
their own country and intended to enter the palace gate, but the
gatekeeper did not allow them to go in. Since they could not get
in, they withdrew and lodged in a carriage shed and stable. In
the third division of the night, Kunala played his lute and
started singing a song with the words, “My eyes are lost, but
the four noble truths have I seen.” And he also sang the following
song:
If a man possessing wisdom
Sees the twelve entrances
With the lamp of wisdom,
He may be free from rebirth.
The sufferings of the three realms of being
Are the sufferings of one’s own mind.
As for all faults of the three realms of being,
One should perceive them now.
If one wishes to acquire supreme bliss,
One should ponder on the twelve entrances.
When King Asoka heard the voice singing the song, he was greatly
pleased and uttered the following stanza:
Now the song that is being sung
And the sound of the lute
Sound like my son.
Kunala’s voice is heard;
If he has arrived,
Why does he not come to see me?
King Asoka called in a man [and said], “The voice I heard seemed
to be that of Kunala; it was so melodious and yet so sad and
sorrowful. That voice distracted my mind, as an elephant is restless with an uneasy mind when it has lost its son but hears its son’s
trumpeting. You may go to see whether it is Kunala or not. If it is
Kunala, then bring him here.”
Under the king’s order, that man went to the carriage shed and
stable, where he saw a man who had lost both eyes and whose skin
was tanned by the sun; he did not recognize the prince. He went
back to report to the king, saying, “The person Your Majesty
ordered me to see is a lonely blind man, staying with his wife in
the carriage shed and stable. He is not Kunala.” Upon hearing
i46c these words, King Asoka felt distressed and pondered over the
matter. And then he uttered the following stanza:
I saw in a dream before
That Kunala had lost his eyes.
Now this blind man
Must be Kunala without doubt.
Go there again
To bring him to this place.
As I am thinking of my son,
My mind is not at ease.
The man went again to the shed and asked Kunala, “Whose son
are you? What is your name?” Kunala replied with the following
stanza:
My father is named Asoka-vardhana,
With the surname of Maurya.
The whole great eartH
Is under his control,
And I am his prince,
By the name of Kunala,
Sumamed Dharmaraja Buddha.
I am the son of the Dharma King.
The messenger then brought Kunala and his wife to the palace.
King Asoka saw that Kunala had been exposed to wind and sunburned and was dressed in a garment made of grass and rags, and
that his appearance had changed beyond recognition. With a doubt
arising in his mind, King Asoka asked him, “Are you Kunala?”
“Yes, I am,” was the reply. When King Asoka heard this, he fainted
and fell to the ground. An attendant saw what had happened to the
king and uttered the following stanza:
When the king saw that Kunala
Had no eyes in his face,
A painful feeling burned in his heart.
He fell down from his sofa.
The attendant then sprinkled water on the king to make him
recover his consciousness. The king then returned to his seat and
carried Kunala and sat him on his lap, weeping and shedding tears
and stroking his head and face, while he recollected his features of
bygone days. And he uttered the following stanza:
Those handsome eyes of yours,
Where are they now?
The causes of losing your eyes
You should tell me.
Now you are deprived of your eyes,
As if the moon disappeared from the skies.
Your countenance has been altered.
By whom was it committed?
Your features in former days
Resembled those of the fairies.
Who is the one so merciless
As to have destroyed your eyes?
In this world of humanity,
Who has been your foe?
This is the root of my misery
That arose therefrom.
By whom was this graceful
Countenance of yours deformed?
The flames of mental fury
Are consuming my body.
It is like the thunder
That destroys a forest of trees.
The lightning of hatred
Has broken my heart.
147a The causes of such happenings
You should tell me without delay.
Kunala answered with the following stanza:
Has not the king heard the Buddha’s saying:
Retribution can never be avoided?
Even a pratyekabuddha
Is not to be exempted.
All worldly beings
Were created by their own karma.
All karmic deeds, good or bad,
Will produce their effects at the right times.
All sentient beings
Receive the result of what they have done.
As I understand the cause,
I do not blame the defacer of my eyes.
This suffering is caused by myself
And is not made by any other person.
Just like the karmic condition of my eyes,
Which was not made by any other person,
The sufferings of all living beings
Are created in the same way,
By their own karmic force.
The king should know such is the case.
King Asoka, with a fire of resentment burning in his heart, again
uttered the following stanza:
You just tell me who it was
And I shall not bear a mind of malice.
If you do not make a clean breast of it,
I shall feel distracted and disturbed.
When King Asoka came to know that it was done by Tisyaraksita,
he called in the lady and uttered the following stanza:
Having committed an atrocity,
Why do you not sink into the ground?
You did not perform what was right
But committed a great misdeed.
Since you have done evil,
I abandon you forever,
Just as a good-deed performer
Would give up filthy lucre.
When King Asoka, with a fire of hatred burning in his heart, saw
Tisyaraksita, he again uttered the following stanza:
At this moment now
I wish to extract her eyes
And use an iron saw
To dismember her limbs,
To break her body with an axe,
To cut out her tongue with a knife,
To sever her neck with a sword,
To bum her frame in fire,
Or to force her to drink poison
To do away with her life.
King Asoka said such things intending to punish Tisyaraksita.
When Kunala heard these words, he had a mind of deep compassion and uttered the following stanza:
What Tisyaraksita has done
Are nothing but evil deeds.
Now may the great king
Not kill her for that reason.
None of the great virtues
Can surpass forbearance.
As the World-honored One has said,
It is the first and foremost.
King Asoka did not listen to his son’s words but put Tisyaraksita
into a lakuca house and set it on fire to bum her to death. He also
issued an order to kill that man of Taksasila.
At that time, a bhiksu was doubtful about the matter and
inquired of the most virtuous Upagupta, ‘"What deed did Kunala
do in a past life, so that he is suffering this retribution in the
present?” The virtuous monk said in reply, “Elder, listen. Long,
long ago in the past, there was in the country of Varanasi a hunter
who killed many deer in the Snow Mountains. Once when he went
to the Snow Mountains a thunderbolt crashed in the sky, and five
hundred deer, being frightened by the bolt, fled into a cave. Upon
seeing this group of deer, the hunter caught every one of them.
Then he thought in his mind, ‘If I kill all of them, their flesh will
become rotten. I have no other choice but to extract both eyes from
each of them, so that they will neither die nor run away, and I can
gradually slaughter them afterwards.’ Having reflected in this
way, he gouged out all their eyes. Elder, what do you think? That
hunter was Kunala in a former life. Because he had extracted the
eyes of the deer, he was always bom in hells for innumerable
years. When he was released from the hells and was born in the
human world, his eyes were always extracted for five hundred
lives. His present life is the last residue of his retribution.”
The bhiksu inquired again, “What was the cause of his being
bom into an eminent clan with a pair of handsome eyes and
gaining arhatship?”
“Elder, listen,” said [Upagupta] in reply. “Long, long ago in
the past at a time when the span of human life was forty thousand years, a Buddha, a fully enlightened one, by the name of
Krakucchanda appeared in the world. When that Buddha had
done all he ought to have done in this world, he entered perfect
/
nirvana. There was then a king by the name of Subhavyuha, who
constructed a stupa with the four precious substances for that
Buddha, the World-honored One. After the king’s demise, his
younger brother, who did not believe in the Buddha, secretly took
away the jewels and gems with which the stupa was built, leaving
only the earthwork and the wooden structure behind. All the
people who saw that the stupa was damaged cried with regret and
annoyance.
“The son of a householder asked the people, W hy are you
crying with regret and annoyance?’ They said in reply, ‘Originally
the stupa for the World-honored One had the four precious substances, but now they are destroyed and gone! Thus we are crying
with regret and annoyance at the sight.’The son of the householder
restored the stupa with the four precious substances as it was
before and enlarged it so that it was broader and higher than it
was at the beginning. He also made a golden image and placed it
i47c in the stupa. After having done this, he made a vow, saying, ‘As
Krakucchanda is the teacher of the world today, may my future
teacher be the same as this Buddha now.’You should know, bhiksu,
that that son of a householder was Kunala. As the result of his
mending and repairing the stupa of Krakucchanda Tathagata, he
was born into a prominent clan in this life. Because he made
an image of the Tathagata, his body in the present life is most
handsome and graceful. And as he vowed to meet a good teacher,
he now has Sakyamuni as his teacher and realizes the four noble
truths.”

Chapter V
The Causes of Offering Half an Amra
Fruit to the Sangha

Having acquired firm faith, King Asoka asked the bhiksus, “Who
has made the largest amount of offerings ever to the cause
of the Buddha-dharma?” The bhiksus said in reply, “The Elder
Anathapindada gave the largest amount of offerings.” The king
asked again, ‘What amount of offerings was he able to give to
the cause of the Buddha-dharma?” The bhiksus said in reply,
“He spent a hundred crores of taels of gold.” Having heard this,
King Asoka reflected, “If the Elder Anathapindada could spend a
hundred crores of taels of gold, I should also spend a hundred
crores of taels of gold in alms giving.”
King Asoka constructed eighty-four thousand stupas and
offered one hundred thousand taels of gold each to the place where
the Buddha was born, the place where he attained the Way, the
place where he turned the Wheel of the Dharma, and the place
where he entered nirvana, and also to each of the places where the
various arhats entered nirvana. He also convened a great assembly of the four groups of Buddhist followers. He offered food at the
same time in one day to three hundred thousand monks, of whom
one-third were arhats and two-thirds were learners and zealous
ordinary people. Again, King Asoka, retaining only his treasures,
offered all his land, palace attendants, ministers, and Kunala, as
well as himself, to the Sangha. He also presented four hundred
thousand taels of gold in alms to the Sangha and paid an enormous amount of gold to redeem his land and his own person.
Later, he offered ninety-six crores of taels of gold to the Sangha in
alms.
When King Asoka was afflicted with a serious illness, he was
very sad and worried. Upon hearing that the king was ill, the
minister Radhagupta, who was the king’s friend and rejoiced at his
good deed of offering sand as alms in a previous life, went to the
king’s place and saluted him at his feet. And then he uttered the
following stanza:
i48a Your face formerly resembled a lotus,
That no dust or filth could stain.
All enemies of great strength
Could never get sight of the king,
Who was like the hot sun at the meridian
Upon whose rays nobody could gaze.
How is it that today
You are shedding tears and sadly sobbing?
King Asoka answered with the following stanza:
Now I am sad and worried,
Not for the sake of my life or wealth
But because I shall leave the group of saints—
For this I am sad and worried.
All the disciples of the World-honored One
Have achieved various kinds of merits.
With different sorts of food and drink,
I make daily offerings to them.
As I remember this matter,
I cannot help shedding tears.
“Moreover, Radhagupta, formerly I desired to offer one hundred
crores of taels of gold to the Three Treasures, but my intention was
not fulfilled. Now I intend to present forty [sic] crores of taels of
gold in alms to satisfy my original intention.” After due consideration, he wished to send forty crores of taels of gold to Kukkuta
Monastery.
At that time, Kunala’s son Sampadin was the crown prince.
The minister said to the prince, “King Asoka will pass away very
soon, and yet he wishes to send forty crores of taels of gold to
Kukkuta Monastery. As all kings depend on wealth for their power,
the prince should order the treasure keeper not to allow the gold
to be taken out.” Thus the prince issued the order accordingly, and
the edict of King Asoka was not put in force. But golden vessels
were provided for the king to take his meal. After taking his meal,
he ordered that the golden vessels be sent to Kukkuta Monastery.
Thus golden vessels were withheld, and silver ones were allowed
for his use. After taking his meal, the king again ordered that the
silver vessels be sent to Kukkuta Monastery. So silver vessels were
withheld, and iron ones were provided for the use of the king. But
after taking his meal, he again ordered that they be sent to
Kukkuta Monastery. Then iron vessels were also withheld, and
earthenware vessels were allowed for his use. Then King Asoka
had nothing more in his possession except half an amra (mango)
fruit in his hand. As King Asoka was greatly distressed in his
mind, he summoned his ministers and people and said to them all
harmoniously, “Who is now the lord of this earth?” The ministers
rose up to salute him and said with folded hands, “Only heaven
and nobody else is the lord.” Then King Asoka shed tears that
rolled down like rain, and he uttered the following stanza:
I, King Asoka of today,
Have no more sovereignty
And only half an amra fruit
At my own disposal.
What is the use of wealth and nobility,
Which are like water flowing in the Ganges?
Formerly I possessed the land of the country
And was the foremost rich and powerful man.
Now suddenly poverty has befallen me.
I have no more free control over anything.
All unions and meetings
Are bound to end in separation.
The Tathagata’s words of the true Dharma
Nobody is able to comprehend.
Whatever I decreed in former days
Never met with any hindrance,
Like the mind and thought consciousness,
Which are free under favorable conditions.
But what I order now
Is like flowing water impeded by rocks.
All my foes and enemies
I have subdued in former times.
All the land under the rule of the king
Sustained the poor and those in desolation.
I have no more brilliant light,
Like the moon obscured by the clouds.
I am also like an asoka tree
Whose flowers and leaves are withered.
Such am I, King Asoka,
In the same poverty and plight.
King Asoka called an attending minister named Bhadramukha
and said to him, “Now I have lost my sovereignty and I wish you
to be my last messenger. This is the only thing you should do for
me. Send this half an amra fruit to Kukkuta Monastery and
announce my words, saying, ‘King Asoka worships at the monks’
feet. Formerly I possessed the land of the whole of Jambudvlpa,
but now I have only half an amra fruit. This is my last alms, which
I hope the monks will accept. Although this is a small thing, the
beneficial merit of offering it to the monks is great.’ ” And he also
uttered the following stanza:
I was formerly a king of men,
Living with sovereignty in my palace.
Impermanence is the peculiarity of the self,
Which will vanish very soon.
Those who can cure the disease
Are the holy fields of blessedness.
Now I have no medicine.
May you save and help me.
This half an amra fruit
Is my last alms.
Small alms may bring great benefit;
Thus you should accept it.
Under the king’s order, the messenger sent the half an amra fruit
to Kukkuta Monastery. Before the elder monk he offered it to the
Sangha and uttered the following stanza with his hands joined
palm to palm:
The whole earth is under the one umbrella
Of the king’s rule without hindrance,
Like the brilliant light of the sun
Shining upon all places.
Of his fancied good deeds
The merit has come to the end,
As the sun, sinking down into the earth,
Has no more brilliant light.
With worship and veneration,
He offers half an amra fruit
As a sign of his merit’s termination;
It is his last gift.
At that time, the Elder assembled the bhiksus and said to them,
“Now you should cherish a mind of fear. Just as the Buddha has
said, it is fearful to see impermanence manifested in other persons. Whoever could bear it without a feeling of abhorrence and
abandonment? Why?”
Brave and able to give alms
Was King Asoka of the Maurya clan,
Who had under his rule the great earth,
Jambudvipa, under his sovereignty.
His recompense is ended today.
He has nothing more than an amra.
All treasures on the great earth
Were under his protection.
This King Asoka of today
Gives half an amra in alms.
Ordinary beings of all realms of existence
Are proud of the force of their merit and virtue.
We should tell them about impermanence
To arouse their feelings of abhorrence.
When the monks received King Asoka’s half an amra fruit, they
crushed it into pulp and mixed it in soup, which was then served
to all members of the Sangha.
King Asoka said to Radhagupta, “Who is the king now?”
Radhagupta, saluting him at his feet, said with joined hands,
“Heaven is the lord of earth, and nobody else is.” King Asoka, who
was then supported by some people, looked around at the four
quarters and said toward the place of the monks with his palms
joined together, “With the exception of my treasures, I now offer
the great earth and even the great sea, together with everything else, to the Sangha.” And he also uttered the following
stanza:
Water is the garment of the earth;
The seven jewels adorn its surface,
Which supports all living beings
As well as all the mountains.
Now I give up all these things
As alms to the monks.
From the monks I shall gain the fruit;
Thus I am giving them these things as gifts.
By the blessing of this alms-giving,
I do not seek the place of Sakra,
Nor to find pleasure in the heaven of Brahman,
Nor to be the lord of all parts of the earth.
I wish to pray by this blessing
Only for the freedom of my mind,
To share the Dharma of the saints,
Which can never be seized by others.
King Asoka wrote this stanza on a piece of tala leaf and sealed it
with the marks of his teeth. Holding this document in his hand, he
joined his palms toward the place of the monks and said to them,

“I offer this great earth and everything to the Sangha.” After
having said so, he passed away.
Then the ministers adorned a hearse with multicolored silk as
an offering for the body of the king. After making the offering, they
intended to perform the ceremony of enthronement by sprinkling
sea water upon the head of the crown prince. Radhagupta said to
the ministers, “The whole great earth has been offered to the
Sangha by the great King Asoka.” The ministers said in reply,
“Then what shall we do?” Radhagupta replied, “Formerly King
Asoka desired to offer one hundred crores of taels of gold as alms
to the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha. When he had given
ninety-six crores of taels of gold, he wished to complete the round
figure, but the ministers did not agree with him. As the king
was discontented, he offered the whole great earth as alms to
the Sangha.” Then the ministers took out forty crores of taels of
gold to redeem the great earth and performed the ceremony of
enthronement by sprinkling sea water upon the head of Prince
Sampadin.
Sampadin’s son was Brhaspati, Brhaspati’s son was Vrsasena,
Vrsasena’s son was Pusyavarman, and Pusyavarman’s son was
Pusyamitra. When Pusyamitra ascended the throne, he assembled
the ministers [and asked them], “By what expedient means can I
make my name everlasting?” The ministers said in reply, “Your
Majesty’s surname is derived from King Asoka, who constructed
eighty-four thousand stupas so that the Buddha-dharma did not
perish; and his name is still well known. Your Majesty should now
construct eighty-four thousand stupas.” The king said in reply,
“The great King Asoka possessed a great divine power unsurpassed by anyone. Is there any other means for me to keep my
name known forever?”
There was then a Brahman, an adept in incantation but an
ordinary person not believing the Buddha-dharma, who said to the
king, “There are two causes that may make one’s name everlasting. The first is to do evil and the second to perform good deeds.
The great King Asoka constructed eighty-four thousand stupas;
but if Your Majesty were to destroy them now, your name would be
everlasting.”
When King Pusyamitra intended to destroy the Buddhadharma, he arrayed his four divisions of troops and went to
Kukkuta Monastery. Upon arriving at the gate of the monastery,
he heard the roar of a lion. Being greatly frightened, the king
returned to the country of Pataliputra. In this manner he went to
Kukkuta Monastery three times, and each time the same thing
happened to him.
When he returned to that country, he assembled the monks of
that monastery and said to them, “Now I intend to destroy the
Buddha-dharma. Among you monks, there are some who guard
the stupas and some who protect the monastery. Each of you
i49b should tell me of his own case.” All the monks said together, ‘We
all protect the stupas.” Then the king executed the Elder monk and
killed all the other monks.
At that time, the country of Sakala was under the king’s
domain. He said to the people of that country that anyone who
could get the head of a bhiksu would be rewarded with golden
money. In that country there was a monastery by the name of
Dharmaraja, in which lived an arhat. A man who intended to get
his head said to the king, “There is a bhiksu in that monastery. I
wish to take his head and send it to Your Majesty.” Having heard
this, the king desired to take the head of the bhiksu himself. At
that moment the bhiksu was absorbed in the intense contemplation of perfect cessation; and by the power of the contemplation, he
was invulnerable to knife, stick, fire, and poison. Since he could
not kill the bhiksu, the king went away to some other place and
reached the country of Kosthaka. In that country there was a
Yaksa deity who was guarding the Buddha’s tooth relic. The Yaksa
reflected, “The Buddha-dharma is going to perish. But as I am
observing the precepts, I can no longer kill any living creature. I
have a daughter, whom the Yaksa Krmisa originally wished to
marry. But as he often committed evil deeds in former times, I did
not give my permission. Now, for the sake of protecting the Buddhadharma I should give her to him in marriage.”
There was another powerful Yaksa who always protected King
Pusyamitra. Owing to his power nobody could injure the king. The
deity who guarded the Buddha’s tooth relic led away to the South
Sea the Yaksa who protected the king; and at that moment the
Yaksa Krmisa brought a great mountain and pressed it on King
Pusyamitra and his four divisions of troops, who all died instantly.
Thus that mountain was named Sunihita (Well Placed). Since
King Pusyamitra was killed, the great Maurya clan died out.

Chapter VI
The Causes of the Buddha’s Prediction
Concerning Upagupta

When the Buddha wished to enter nirvana, he converted the Naga
kings Apalala and Gopalacandala; and after having done so, he
came to the country of Mathura. In that country he told Ananda,
“One hundred years after my nirvana, there will be in this country
of Mathura a perfumer by the name of Gupta whose son Upagupta
will be a Buddha without the special marks. He will perform the
functions of a Buddha and teach many people to achieve arhatship.
i49c Into this cave, which is eighteen cubits long and twelve cubits
broad, he will ask each of his disciples to put a chip four inches long
and thereby eventually fill up the cave. Ananda, you should know
that after me Upagupta will be the foremost in edifying his disciples. Ananda, do you see that green mountain in the distance?”
Ananda said in reply, “I see it, World-honored One!” The Buddha
said, “That mountain is named Urumanda. One hundred years
after the Tathagata’s nirvana, the bhiksu Sanakavasin will build
a monastery on that mountain and preach the Dharma to edify
Upagupta, who will become a monk. In the country of Mathura
there will be two brothers named Nata and Bhata. Being the sons
of a wealthy person, they will be donors for the construction of the
monastery on Mount Urumanda. Thus the monastery will be
named Natabhatika. Ananda, you should know that this monastery will be the best place for meditation.”
Ananda wondered how Upagupta would benefit so many people. The Buddha said to Ananda, “You should not wonder at this
matter. Even long ago in the past when he was bom in an evil path
[as a monkey], he already benefitted many people. Again, beside

Urumanda Mountain on its three sides, there were in the past five
hundred pratyekabuddhas on one side, five hundred recluses on
another side, and five hundred monkeys on the third side. Among
the monkeys there was a chief monkey who went to the pratyekabuddhas. Being delighted to see them, he picked fruits and flowers
from the trees and offered them to the pratyekabuddhas. The
pratyekabuddhas were sitting cross-legged, and the monkey paid
homage to them one by one. After having worshipped them, the
monkey sat erect at the last seat after the monks, and he did
so every day. When all of the pratyekabuddhas entered nirvana,
the monkey did not know it and made offerings to them as before. When he saw that the pratyekabuddhas did not accept his
offerings, he dragged their clothes and pulled their feet, but the
pratyekabuddhas did not move. Then the monkey realized that all
the pratyekabuddhas were dead. He cried and wept sorrowfully,
and went to the recluses.
“The five hundred recluses were lying on thorns and thistles,
and the monkey, imitating the recluses, also lay on thorns and
thistles. He also imitated the recluses by lying on ashes and
earth and scorching himself with heat from five directions as the
recluses did. When they had gone away after scorching themselves, the monkey quenched the piles of fire with water and
hid the ashes away. He pulled up the thorns and thistles on which
the recluses had lain and threw them away. He also cleared
away the ashes on which they had lain. The recluses grasped the
branches of trees to suspend themselves in the air. The monkey
loosened their hands and made them drop to the ground. He often
taught the recluses how to behave themselves in the four respectinspiring forms of demeanor in walking, standing, sitting, and
lying. After having taught them this, he sat upright before them to
practice concentration and said to them, ‘All of you should sit like
this.’ The five hundred recluses then sat together with him in
150a meditation. Having no teacher to preach the Dharma to them,
the recluses meditated on the thirty-seven classified ways leading
to enlightenment and attained the path of the pratyekabuddha.
Having attained the path, they reflected, ‘It is owing to this

monkey that we have attained the holy path.’ Thus they offered
incense, flowers, food, and drink to the monkey. When the monkey
came to the end of his life, the pratyekabuddhas cremated his body
with fragrant wood.”
The Buddha said to Ananda, “That monkey was Upagupta.
Even in an evil path of existence, Upagupta did great benefit for
many people. One hundred years after my nirvana, he will again
perform great beneficial deeds on Mount Urumanda.”
At that time, the World-honored One said to Ananda, “Hold a
corner of my robe.” Then the World-honored One lifted Ananda’s
physical body into the air, and they went together to the country
of Kasmira. Upon arriving there, [the Buddha] said to Ananda,
“Do you see the many mountains and forests here?” Ananda said
in reply, “I see them, World-honored One!” He again told Ananda,
“One hundred years after my nirvana, there will be in this country of Kasmira the bhiksu Madhyantika, who will establish the
country of Kasmira in this land.” Then the Buddha gradually
proceeded to the city of Kusinagara. When the time of his nirvana
arrived, he told the Elder Mahakasyapa, “Now I wish to enter
nirvana. You should collect the Dharma-pita/ea, to make it last
one thousand years in order to absorb and convert all living
beings.” Mahakasyapa said to the Buddha, “World-honored
One, I shall act according to the instructions of the World-honored
One.”
The Buddha then thought of Sakra. Being aware of the
Buddha’s mind, Sakra, the Lord of Devas, came to the Buddha.
The World-honored One told Sakra,“Kausika, you should protect
/
and maintain the Dharma-pitaka.” Sakra said to the Buddha,
“World-honored One, I shall do so.” The World-honored One then
thought of the Four Heavenly Kings, who, knowing the mind of the
Buddha, came to the Buddha. The Buddha said again to the Four
Heavenly Kings, “After my nirvana, the four of you should protect
and maintain the Dharma -pitaka. Even in the future, during the
times of the three wicked kings, you four together should protect
and maintain the Dharma-pifcz&a.” The Four Heavenly Kings said
to the Buddha, “We shall do so, World-honored One!”

At that time, having entrusted the Dharma-pifo&a to Mahakasyapa and Sakra as well as to the Four Heavenly Kings, the
World-honored One returned to the country of Mathura, gradually
proceeded to the twin sala trees in the city of Kusinagara, and
told Ananda, “The time of my nirvana is approaching. Make a bed
for me to the north of the twin sala trees. At midnight tonight I
shall enter perfect nirvana.” And he also uttered the following
stanza:
Bottomless is the sea of birth and death,
With waves and deep whirlpools.
Old age and sickness are the shore
From which I have crossed the sea.
Intending to enter the land of no sorrow,
I give up this body as a raft.
Rebirth is like the sea,
With fearful old age as its water.
Sakyamuni is the bull king
Who has crossed the sea of rebirth,
Like a man depending upon a raft
Who safely reaches the other shore.
This has been extensively related.
After the Buddha’s nirvana, eight stupas were erected to
preserve his relics. The ninth stupa contained a water pot and the
tenth one was a stupa of embers. Thus a stanza was uttered as
follows:
Eight stupas were as tall as mountains,
Relics were preserved underneath.
The ninth one was a stupa of the water pot,
And the tenth one a stupa of embers.
f
Sakra, the Lord of Devas, and the Four Heavenly Kings offered all
kinds of incense and flowers as well as different kinds of music to
the relics, and he said, “The World-honored One entrusted us with
the Dharma-pifa&a and entered nirvana. Now we should comply
and protect the Buddha-dharma.” Then Sakra said to Dhrtarastra,
“You should protect the Buddha-dharma in the east.” He said to
Virudhaka, “You should protect the Buddha-dharma in the south.”
He said to Virupaksa, “You should protect the Buddha-dharma in
the west.” And he said to Kuvera, <rYou should protect the Buddhadharma in the north.”
The World-honored One said, “After my death three wicked
kings will come to live among you. If they destroy the Buddhadharma, you should defend and protect it.”
Then the Buddha entered nirvana along with innumerable
arhats. A sorrowful voice was heard in the air, uttering the following stanza:
What a pity that the disciples of the Buddha
Have all entered nirvana.
Today in this world
Everything is empty and void.
The shadow of ignorance darkened the lamp of the right Dharma.
All the arhats of great virtue entered nirvana. Nobody was there
to guard and protect the Buddha-dharma any more, and [it seemed
that] the right Dharma of the Tripitaka would not last long.
At that time, Sakra and the Four Heavenly Kings as well as
countless divine beings went together to Mahakasyapa. Upon
arriving there they worshipped at Kasyapa’s feet and said, “The
World-honored One has entrusted the Bharma-pitaka to you, Most
Virtuous One, and to us. Most Virtuous One, you should now
protect the Buddha-dharma together with us. All the Buddhadharma should be collected and must not be allowed to disperse.
Now the Buddha-dharma, supported and accepted by divine beings
and men, will stay in the world for one thousand years for the sake
of absorbing and converting all living beings.”
Then Kasyapa struck a bell; and by his supernatural power
the sound issued from his mouth, telling all people in Jambudvipa
about it. There were then five hundred arhats staying at Kusii 50c nagara. Kasyapa said to the Elder Aniruddha, “Now who is absent from the assembly of arhats?” Aniruddha said in reply,
“Gavampati is now at the Sirisa Palace in heaven. He is absent at
the moment.” The most virtuous Kasyapa asked the bhiksus, “Who
is the youngest person in this assembly?” The arhat Purna said in
reply, “I am the youngest one.” Mahakasyapa said to him, “Can you
accept the instructions of the Sangha?” Purna answered, “I can.”
Kasyapa said again, “Good man, it is excellent, truly excellent,
that you can accept the instructions of the Sangha. Now you may
go to the Sirisa Palace in heaven, to Gavampati, and tell him,
‘Mahakasyapa and the monks summon you to come down. There
is a function of the Sangha to be done. You must come quickly.’ ”
And he also uttered the following stanza:
You may go, good man,
/ _
To the wood of Sinsa.
Leave us here and go
To Gavampati.
_ /
Purna then went to the Sirisa Palace and said to Gavampati,
“Kasyapa and the monks who are living in perfect harmony in
Jambudvipa have a function of the Sangha that requires you to go
down in haste.” Gavampati said in reply, “Good man, you should
say the Buddha and the monks instead of Kasyapa and the monks.
Why? Because, the Buddha having entered nirvana, the heretics
and the like might despise the Buddha-dharma, and moreover
some evil bhiksus might try to cause a schism in the Sangha. The
heretics might say, ‘Since the Buddha has entered nirvana, the
Dharma has also completely disappeared, and the bhiksus know
nothing of it.’ Formerly when the Buddha was in the world, his
light of wisdom made the world bright and brilliant. Now he is
dead, and the world has become dark. What is the use of my going
there?” He also uttered the following stanza:
The whole world is now empty;
Nowhere is delightful anymore.
Without the Tathagata to preach the Dharma,
There is nothing to be done in Jambudvipa.
Now I wish to stay here
To enter nirvana.

“Now you may return there and tell them my mind, saying,
‘Gavampati worships Mahakasyapa and the monks,’ and repeat
the above stanza.”
The whole world is now empty;
Nowhere is delightful anymore.
Without the Tathagata to preach the Dharma,
There is nothing to be done in Jambudvipa.
Now I wish to stay here
To enter nirvana.
i5ia After having said these words, Gavampati entered nirvana.
When Purna returned to Jambudvipa, he uttered the following
stanza:
Superior Sangha of great virtues:
The venerable Gavampati
Said with veneration:
“Since the Buddha has entered nirvana,
Today I shall also
Enter nirvana.
Just as when the great elephant died,
His son followed suit.”
At that time Mahakasyapa made a rule: From then onward all
monks should live in harmony to collect the Dharma-pito&a. Until
this function was completed, none of the bhiksus should enter
nirvana. And he also uttered the following stanza:
From today onward
All monks should live in harmony.
As long as the Dharma-pita/ea is not collected,
None should enter nirvana.
When the five hundred arhats were living in harmony, Mahakasyapa informed the Sangha, saying, “This Elder Ananda has
always followed the Tathagata. He is getting old now, and
all monks should respect him.” He also uttered the following
stanza:
This Elder Ananda
Received and upheld what the Buddha said.
He is sharp-witted and has intelligence
And always followed the Tathagata’s steps,
Understanding the Buddha-dharma with a pure mind
Thus we should respect him,
As he is beneficial to all monks
And is praised by the One with Ten Powers.
At that time, Mahakasyapa said to the bhiksus, “If we collected the
Dharma-pitaka at this place, many monks would come here in
crowds and would certainly weep with grief, which would disturb
our Dharma function. We should go to the country of Magadha,
where the Buddha attained enlightenment, to collect the Dharmapitaka.”
Kasyapa and the five hundred arhats then went to the city
ofRajagrha, while Ananda, supported by the Elder Vrjiputra,
travelled to the country Vrji. When they arrived there the four
groups of devotees of that country were sad and grieved to hear
that the Buddha had entered nirvana. At that time Ananda
reflected, “If the four groups are upset and grieved in their minds,
how can I preach the Dharma?” The Elder Vrjiputra thought in his
mind, “I should observe the mind of the upadhyaya (teacher) to see
whether he is a saint or an ordinary person.” Then he found that
the upadhyaya still had a mind attached to learning and was not
free from the world of desire. Having seen this, he went to Ananda,
and upon reaching there, he uttered the following stanza:
You should go under a tree
To fix your mind on nirvana.
While Gautama was sitting in meditation,
Very soon he attained nirvana.
i5ib At that time, the Elder Ananda, under the edification of Vrjiputra,
spent the whole day in walking and sitting to wash his mind of the
five covers. He did so from the first till the fifth watch in the night;
and when Venus appeared, he went out to wash his feet. Having
washed his feet, he returned to the monastery and intended to lie
down with his right side on the bed. Before his head touched the
pillow, he freed himself from all passions and attained arhatship.
Then he went to the city of Rajagrha where Kasyapa and the
five hundred arhats had also arrived. At that time, Ajatasatru, son
of Vaidehi, on hearing that Kasyapa and five hundred arhats were
coming, decorated the road and prepared different kinds of offerings to welcome Mahakasyapa.
King Ajatasatru had formerly achieved the rootless faith caused
by the Buddha; for when he saw the Buddha coming to him, he
prostrated himself from a lofty storied house; but the Buddha took
hold of him by his supernatural powers. This time, while he
was riding on an elephant, he also prostrated himself at the sight
of Mahakasyapa; and Mahakasyapa also took hold of him by
his supernatural powers. Kasyapa said to King Ajatasatru, “The
Tathagata could utilize his supernatural powers without a preliminary thought, but a sravaka must premeditate before he can
utilize his supernatural powers. If you prostrate [from such a
height] without my being prepared, you might lose your life. From
now on never do it again.” The king said in reply, “I shall do as you
say.”
King Ajatasatru worshipped at Kasyapa’s feet and said to him
with his hands joined together, “Most Virtuous One, when the
World-honored One entered nirvana, I did not see him. If you, Most
Virtuous One, intend to enter nirvana, you must come to see me.”
Kasyapa answered, “Let it be so.” And he also said to the great
king, “We wish to collect the Buddha-dharma in this city.” The king
said in reply, “From now on till the end of my life, I shall offer robes,
food and drink, medicine, and bedding to the Sangha. The monks
may stay at Bamboo Grove Monastery.” Then Kasyapa reflected,
“This monastery is broad and big and the [resident] bhiksus might
cause a disturbance to our function. I should say that it might be
good and might not be good. There is a grotto by the name of
Pippalayana. We should go there to collect the Dharma-pitaka.”
Then Kasyapa and the five hundred arhats went together to
Pippalayana Grotto. After arriving there, and having properly
arranged their lodgings, he said to the bhiksus, “In the future the
bhiksus may lose their correct minds. We should work together to
collect the Udana and Gdtha before midday, and after midday we
shall collect the other Dharmas.”
Then the five hundred arhats took their seats according to
order, and on each seat was spread a nisidana (mat for sitting).
All the monks thought in their minds which of the three
pitakas they should collect first. Mahakasyapa said, ‘W e should
first collect the Sutras.” The monks said again, ‘Who can recite the
Sutras?” Kasyapa said in reply, “The Elder Ananda is the foremost
among the well-instructed disciples. All the Sutras were received
i5ic and retained by him. We should ask him to recite the Sutras.”
Kasyapa then said to Ananda, “You should now recite the Sutras;
and we, the assembly, shall collect them together.” And he uttered
the following stanza:
You, Elder Ananda, should know
That this Dharma-pitaka
Was created by the Tathagata,
And that it subsists through your effort.
You uphold the Buddha’s Dharma-pifa&a,
Like a bull carrying a heavy burden.
The Tathagata, possessing the ten powers,
Is the peerless and great brave one.
He could put an end to the three realms of being;
And the Buddha-dharma is as fine as clarified butter.
All persons who upheld the Dharma-pita&a
Have already entered nirvana.
You are now the only person
Who has retained the Buddha’s Dharma-pzto&a.
At that time, the Elder Ananda said in reply, “Let it be so.” Then
he rose from his seat, and standing before the presiding Elder and
looking at all the monks, he uttered the following stanza:
In this auspicious assembly of monks,
The World-honored One alone is absent.
The mind of purity is unadorned,
Like the sky without the moon.

The Elder Ananda worshipped the monks one by one, beginning
with the presiding Elder. After worshipping them, he ascended the
high seat and thought, “Some Sutras I heard personally from the
Buddha and some I did not. But now I shall say, ‘Thus have I heard’
to all of them.” The most virtuous Kasyapa said to Ananda, “Elder,
you should tell us where the Sutras were spoken.” And he uttered
the following stanza:
All the great wise ones request
You, a son of the Buddha, to tell us
At which place the Buddha’s
First Sutra was spoken.
Ananda answered, saying, “He spoke the first Sutra for the five
bhiksus in the country of Varanasi. Thus have I heard: Once the
World-honored One was staying at the Deer Park of the recluses in
the country of Varanasi. The Buddha told the bhiksus about the
noble truth of suffering, and so on.” Such as this was extensively
related.
At that time, the Elder Ajnatakaundinya reflected, “Among
this assembly I am the [only] person who heard this Sutra spoken to
me and my companions. The Buddha-dharma that has been transmitted uninterruptedly is the Dharma I heard at the beginning.”
Thus a sad and regretful feeling arose in him, and upon seeing this
sight Ananda also felt sad and regretful. He came down from the
high seat, sat on the ground, and uttered the following stanza:
The three realms of beings are powerless,
Like the moon’s reflection in the water,
Or illusion, or the trunk of a banana tree.
But with the power of wisdom,
One may know everything in the world.
Thus one should forsake birth and death
And try to realize nirvana,
Like a tree falling in a gale.
At that time, all five hundred arhats left their seats and sat
on the bare ground. Kasyapa said to the bhiksus, “How is the
Sutra recited by Ananda?” Then the five hundred arhats entered
samadhi, and after emerging from samadhi, they said, “Such is
the Sutra! Such is the Sutra!”
Then the four divisions of the Sutras were extensively recited,
and after the collection of Sutras was completed, the monks said,
“Now we wish to collect the Vinaya-pitaka, but whom shall we ask
to help us do so?”
The most virtuous Kasyapa said in reply, “The Elder Upali is
foremost in observing the disciplinary rules. We shall ask him to
collect the Vinaya as we wish.” Then Kasyapa said to Upali, “Elder,
you should recite the Vinaya, as we wish to collect it.” “Let it be so,”
was the reply. “Where did the Buddha speak about the pdrdjikas?”
Upali said in reply, “In the country of Vrji.” “To whom were they
spoken?” “To Sudinna Kalandakaputra.” Such things as this were
extensively related.
After the collection of the second Dh axma-pitaka was completed, Mahakasyapa again thought, “We ourselves should recite
the Mother of Wisdom [i.e., the Abhidharma-pita&a].” Kasyapa
then said to the bhiksus, “What are [the subjects of] the Mother of
Wisdom? They are the four objects of meditation, the four right
efforts, the four supernatural powers, the five sense organs, the five
spiritual powers, the seven branches of enlightenment, the eightfold right path, the four unhindered wisdoms of eloquence, the
wisdom of non-disputation, and the wisdom of vows, which should
all be collected. The Dharmakaya, the theory of discipline, calmness and tranquillity, and doctrinal views are teachings of the
Mother of Wisdom.” Thus the most virtuous Kasyapa concluded
the collection of the Dharma-p ita&a. And he uttered the following
stanza:
We have collected the Dharma, the Sutras,
For the benefit of the world.
The things said by the Buddha of the ten powers
Were immeasurable.
The darkness of ignorance in the world
Can be dispelled by the lamp of the Dharma.

At that time, the Elder Ananda thought, “When the Buddha, the
World-honored One, was about to enter nirvana, he said to those
who had violated minor rules that [these rules] might be given up.
I should now tell the monks.” Then before the presiding elder he
said with hands joined palm to palm, “I personally heard the
Buddha saying that thenceforward if anyone violated the minor
rules, he might give them up and not pretend to observe them. If
the monks agree, we may give them up together. When there are
no more minor offenses, all the monks may live in peace and
happiness.”
Then the most virtuous Kasyapa said to Ananda, “Did you ask
the World-honored One which are minor rules that might be given
up and which are not minor rules that might not be given up?
Among the five sections [of the disciplinary rules], do they belong
152b to the fifth or the fourth section?” Ananda said in reply, “I really
did not ask. Why? Because all the great bhiksus in the presence of
the Buddha did not ask about it, and as I was the youngest person,
and had nothing to feel guilty or shameful about in my mind, I did
not ask about it. Moreover, as the Buddha was about to enter
nirvana, I was feeling sad and sorry, and thus I did not ask about
it.” Mahakasyapa then said to Ananda, “You are guilty of a duskrta
offense, as you offered muddy water to the Buddha when the
Tathagata asked for water from you at the time of his approaching
nirvana.” Ananda said in reply, “I was the youngest person and
had nothing to feel guilty or shameful about in my mind. At that
time five hundred carts had just crossed the Krakustha River. I
fetched the water shortly after the carts had gone away, and thus
the water was muddy.” Kasyapa said again, “When the Tathagata
needed water, why did you not hold the bowl toward heaven, so
that heavenly beings would have certainly poured water into it?
Why did you fetch muddy water to offer to the Buddha? Therefore
you have committed a duskrta offense. Again, the World-honored
One had a new robe, as yellow as gold in color. Why did you tread
on it with your feet?” Ananda said in reply, “I did not do so out of
shamelessness, but because nobody else was there [to help me].
Thus I stepped on it with my foot.” Kasyapa said again, ‘W hy did

you not hold the robe toward heaven? Heavenly beings would
have come to hold it. Therefore you have committed a duskrta
offense. Again, at that time the Buddha said to you that if a
man had cultivated the four supernatural powers, he could live
for a kalpa or less than a kalpa, and he let you know that the
Buddha, the Tathàgata, had already achieved the four supernatural powers. Why did you not ask the Buddha to stay in the
world for a kalpa or less than a kalpa?” Ananda said in reply, “Most
Virtuous Kàsyapa, I was not shameless. At that time the king of
Maras bewitched my mind, and thus I failed to ask the Tathàgata
to stay.” Kàsyapa said, “That is also a duskrta offense, Again, why
did you show the Tathàgata’s physical mark of a well-retracted
male organ to women?” Ananda said in reply, “It was not out of
shamelessness that I showed the physical mark of a well-retracted
male organ to women. At that time the women were full of lustful
desire, and if they saw the Tathàgata’s physical mark of a wellretracted male organ, they would feel disgusted with their female
form and wish to gain the male form. That is why I showed it to
them.” Kàsyapa said, “You have committed a duskrta offense for
which you should make a confession.”
At that time, Kàsyapa said to the bhiksus, “We should now
recite the seven rules for settling disputes and other minor offenses.”
Among the bhiksus some said that the [hundred] regulations to be
learned by the monks and nuns were minor rules; others said that
the four dharmas [concerning public confession] were minor rules;
some others said that the ninety rules [about atonement] were
minor rules; still others said that the thirty rules [concerning
confiscation and expiation] were minor rules; and some others
even said that the two rules concerning uncertain cases of infringement were minor rules. Some of them said, “If only the four grave
prohibitions and the thirteen rules [concerning temporary expulsion] were reserved while all the other rules were abandoned, the
heretics would say that the Dharma of the sramana Gautama is
i52c motley and variegated. When the Buddha was in the world, the
Dharma was harmonious and in unison, and when he passed away,
the Dharma also disappeared. After the Buddha’s nirvana, all
his disciples acted on their own discretion; those who wished to
observe the rules observed the rules, and those who wished to
abandon the rules abandoned the rules.”
The Buddha said these words, “If a bhiksu cannot observe the
disciplinary rules with a whole mind, he should observe them with
a right mind. If he has received the disciplinary rules, he should
not abandon them but should accept and observe all that the
Buddha has spoken. If a bhiksu accepts and observes what was
spoken, the good Dharma will increase without retrogression.”
Therefore all the disciplinary rules spoken by the Buddha were
accepted and observed.

Chapter VII
The Causes of the Transmission
of the Dharma-pitaka
by the Five Disciples of the Buddha

The World-honored One transmitted the Dharma-pitaka to Mahakasyapa and entered nirvana; Mahakasyapa transmitted it
toAnanda and entered nirvana; Ananda transmitted it to
Madhyantika and entered nirvana; Madhyantika transmitted it /_ _ /_
to Sanakavasin and entered nirvana; Sanakavasin transmitted
it to Upagupta and entered nirvana; and Upagupta transmitted it
to Dhltika.
When Upagupta was edifying his disciples in the country of
Mathura, each of them was asked, at the time of becoming an
arhat, to throw a chip four inches in length into a cave twelve
cubits broad and eighteen cubits long. [Upagupta] made a vow that
when the cave was filled with chips he would enter nirvana;
and when the cave was full of chips, he did enter nirvana, after
having handed over the Dharma to his disciple Dhltika, who
was the last disciple to throw a chip into the cave to make it
full. Upagupta said to Dhitika, “Formerly the Buddha handed
over the Dharma-pitaka to Mahakasyapa, Mahakasyapa handed it
over to Ananda, Ananda handed it over to Madhyantika, and
Madhyantika handed it over to my upadhyaya. Now I hand this
Dharma-pitaka over to you.” Having handed down the Dharmapitaka, he entered nirvana seven days later. Both heavenly and
human beings passed the news from place to place throughout
Jambudvipa. One hundred thousand arhats came harmoniously
together to make offerings, and the number of learners and
i53a upasakas and upasikas was uncountable. At the time of entering
nirvana, [Upagupta] rose into the air in the postures of walking,
standing, sitting, and lying down, with water coming out of the
upper part of his body and fire from the lower part in eighteen
transformations. All the heavenly beings and people in the world
were delighted. Then he performed jhapita (cremation) of himself
with the chips [from the cave]. At that time one thousand arhats
entered nirvana with him. Then Dhltika received and protected
the Dharma-pitaka.
The Causes of Kasyapa
The causes of the nirvana of the Elder Mahakasyapa: At that
time the Elder Kasyapa had all the Sutras, the Vinaya, and the
Abhidharma recited. With the wisdom of vows he understood
the Tnpitaka, achieved the body [for his own enjoyment], and
realized the samadhi of cessation. With the all-comprehensive
four unhindered wisdoms of eloquence, he collected the Dharmapitaka with five hundred arhats. The Dharma as spoken by the
Buddha was handed down to various superior persons one by
one, so that it might spread to all places for constant reading
and reciting and not be lost, for the benefit of all people. He
often thought, “I am getting advanced in age, but old age and
death are the law of impermanence.” He also thought in this
way: “I have received according to my ability what the Buddha
has spoken. My good friends have received the Sutras, and thus
the sons of the Dharma have been bom. What I have done at
present for requiting the Buddha’s kindness is only a small
repayment for the Buddha’s favors. Who can fully repay all
the kindness of the Buddha? All my fellow students are harmonious in the Dharma, and I have been carrying myself too long
to receive and gather up the world. I am too tired from carrying
myself for so long, and as this stinking body is extremely tired, my
time of nirvana is approaching.” He also uttered the following
stanza:
We have collected the Sutras
And have paved the Way.
We should widely teach the World-honored One’s Dharma
words
In all places.
He also uttered the following stanza:
The shameless ones are expelled;
Those having a sense of shame are accepted.
I have done what is beneficial to me.
My time of nirvana is coming.
Mahakasyapa then went to Ananda and said to him, “The Worldhonored One handed over the Dharma-pitaka to me and then
entered nirvana. Now I wish to enter nirvana and hand over the
Dharma-pitaka to you. You should accept and uphold it. In due
time a son will be bom to a merchant in the city of Rajagrha, and
as the child will be born covered with a sana (hempen) garment,
he will be called Sanakavasin. Sanakavasin will sail on the great
sea, and later he will have faith in the Dharma of the Worldhonored One, to whom he will always make offerings. You should
edify him to become a monk and transmit the Buddha’s Dharmapitaka to him.”
Mahakasyapa then handed over the Buddha’s Dharma-pitaka
to the Elder Ananda. After having handed over the Dharmapitaka, he thought in this way: “My World-honored One had great
153b compassion. He did what was hard to do, and his edification was
all-round and pervasive. By his countless merits he created his
most recent body. The relics of the World-honored One are worshipped at all places. I should enter nirvana, and you ought to
know that there is nothing else for me to do.” He also uttered the
following stanza:
It was my World-honored One
Who had great compassion.
To the relics of the World-honored One
I have already made offerings.
It was from him
That the samadhi of enlightenment was bom.
To the one who did what was hard to do
This is my last offering.
Mahakasyapa went by his supernatural powers to the four caityas
(shrines) at the places where the Buddha was born, where he attained enlightenment, where he turned the Wheel of the Dharma,
and where he entered nirvana. With utmost veneration he worshipped and made offerings to them. He did the same at the eight
relic stupas. He also entered the Naga palace to make offerings [to
the Buddha’s tooth relic], like a lion king entering a lake that
was terrorless, deep, large, unruffled, pure, and undefiled. After
having made offerings to the Buddha’s tooth relic there, he came
out as quickly as the Naga king could appear in the air and
instantly reached the palace of the Trayastrimsa heaven, where
Sakra and the other heavenly beings were glad to make offerings
to him. After having received the offerings, he intended to enter
nirvana at that place. Upon seeing the signs of the matter, Sakra
said to Kasyapa, “As you are mindful of pure practices, you have
always lived in the mountains. What is your intention in coming
here? This is a lonely place where you have nobody to depend
upon.”
At that time, the Elder Mahakasyapa said to Sakra, “Kausika,
I take pleasure in looking at the Buddha’s tooth relic and the
Buddha’s heavenly crown as well as his mani (pearl), pdtra (alms
bowl), and other things. This is my last time to make offerings to
them.” He also uttered the following stanza:
To say that my suffering is ended,
I have come here.
To see the signs of the Buddha,
I have come here.
Sakra and the other heavenly beings, hearing Kasyapa’s words,
felt sad and sorry, and out of respect for him they handed the
Buddha’s tooth relic with both hands to Kas'yapa, who received
it respectfully and looked at it without blinking. He offered
mandarava flowers, bakula flowers, and small particles of ox head
sandalwood to the tooth relic. Mahakasyapa said to Sakra and one
thousand heavenly beings, “You should practice non-slackness.”
Then Mahakasyapa suddenly disappeared from the summit of
Mount Sumeru and returned to the city of Rajagrha.
At that time, the Elder Kasyapa handed over the Buddha’s
Dharma-pifo&a to Ananda, and then Ananda followed behind
Kasyapa every day. Ananda said to Kasyapa, “Do not enter nirvana!”
Kasyapa then told Ananda, “You and I may enter [the city] each
by his own way.”
i 53c Ananda rose early in the morning, and having dressed himself in his robes he took up his begging bowl and entered the
city to beg for food. Ananda was harmonious with others in three
delightful ways: first, delightful name; second, delightful listening; third, delightful appearance. People were never tired of looking at him and never tired of listening to him speaking on the
Dharma.
Kasyapa also rose early in the morning, and having dressed
himself in his robes, he held his begging bowl and entered the city
to beg for food. He thought, “I promised that at the time of entering
nirvana, I would go to see King Ajatasatru.” Kasyapa then went to
the royal palace and said to the gatekeeper, “I am here, wishing to
see the great king. You may go into the palace to inform the king
about it.” The gatekeeper said in reply, “The king is now sleeping.
I shall inform him after he has awakened.” Kasyapa said, ‘You
may wake up the king.” The gatekeeper said in reply, “The king
must not be woken up. If he is awakened, he will be greatly
enraged; and once he is enraged he will punish me.” The Elder
Kasyapa said to the gatekeeper, “When the king has been awakened, you should inform him that Kasyapa has come here, wishing
to enter nirvana. That is why I want to see the king.”
Then Kasyapa went into the city to beg for food. After having
begged for food, he went to Kukkuta Mountain, which broke into
three portions. On the mountain he spread some grass on the
ground and pondered, while saying to his own body, “Formerly the
Tathagata covered you with a robe made of cast-off rags. You
should stay till the time of the Dharma-pito&a of Maitreya.” He
also uttered the following stanza:
With my supernatural powers,
I shall keep this body,
Covered with this robe of cast-off rags,
Till the emergence of Maitreya Buddha.
That Buddha, using this body,
May edify his disciples.
At that time Kasyapa contemplated on three matters. First, after
entering nirvana his body should be dressed in his robe of cast-off
rags and buried under the three portions of the mountain, like a
child in his mother’s womb, without being lost or injured, and
be kept till the time of the Dharma-pitaAa of Maitreya. Second,
if Ring Ajatas'atru comes, the mountain should open. Kasyapa
thought, “If King Ajatasatru could not see my body, he would vomit
hot blood and die.” Third, if Ananda comes, the mountain should
open. When he emerged from his contemplation, he forsook his
life and entered nirvana. After his nirvana, the earth quaked in
six ways. Sakra and innumerable heavenly beings presented
various heavenly flowers as offerings to the body of Kasyapa. The
three portions of the mountain closed together to bury his body.
As Sakra and the other heavenly beings were separated [from
Kasyapa], they felt sad and regretful, and uttered the following
stanza:
We are today
From Kasyapa far away.
Sad and sorry are our minds,
So much that it is unbearable.
In the Pippalayana Grotto
All rare Dharmas had arisen.
The people of Magadha
Were bom poor and forlorn.
The whole world has nobody
To depend upon.
Now this Kasyapa,
The second Buddha, is extinct.
The right Dharma has collapsed like a landslide;
The ship of the right Dharma is tossing;
The tree of the right Dharma has withered;
The sea of the right Dharma is turbulent;
To the delight of the king of Maras,
Who enjoys this disaster of the Dharma.
After having said this, they suddenly disappeared.
When Ananda was in the city of Rajagrha and had not yet
come out, Kasyapa entered nirvana. The Elder Ananda, having
begged for food in the city of Rajagrha, meditated on impermanence, while King Ajatasatru dreamed that his maternal clan
had perished. He was startled by the dream and awoke in terror.
The gatekeeper reported to the king, saying, “Kasyapa has been
here, wishing to see the king. He was going to enter nirvana.”
Upon hearing these words, the king fainted and fell to the ground.
His attendants sprinkled water on him, and when he was recovered a little he went to the Bamboo Grove, where he worshipped
at Ananda’s feet. After worshipping him, he stood up and wept sorrowfully, saying, “I have just heard that the Elder Mahakas'yapa
has entered nirvana.” Ananda said in reply, “The Great Strenuous
One has entered nirvana.”
At that time, King Ajatasatru said to Ananda, “Let me see
Kasyapa’s body; I wish to make offerings to it.” Ananda then took
the king to Kukkuta Mountain. Ananda saw that many Raksasas
(demons) were guarding the body of Kasyapa. King Ajatasatru saw
the same, and he also saw that Kasyapa’s body was covered with
heavenly flowers. Having seen this sight, he raised his hands to
pat his own head and prostrated himself at full length, like a tree
pushed down by an elephant, to worship at the feet of the body.
After worshipping the body, he wished to get some firewood to
cremate it. At that moment, Ananda said, “Great King, what do
you wish to do?” The king replied, “I wish to burn the body of
Kasyapa.” Ananda said in reply, “Do not bum it! Do not burn it!
This body is preserved by divine power. When Maitreya Buddha
attains supreme enlightenment, he will come here, surrounded by
ninety-six crores of disciples, to take Kasyapa’s body and show
it to them. Maitreya will say, ‘This Kasyapa was a disciple of
Sakyamuni. He was the foremost in contentment, with few desires,
and he also collected the Dharma-pfta&a of Sakyamuni.’ Then he
will utter the following stanza:
This recluse bhiksu surnamed Kasyapa,
A great disciple of Sakyamuni Buddha,
Whose supreme good views benefitted the world,
Accepted and upheld the Bhavma-pitaka of that Buddha.
“Maitreya’s disciples will think, ‘In those days, the human body was
so small! Was the body of Sakyamuni the same as this or larger?’
When Maitreya Buddha sees his disciples, he will say to them,
‘The samghati robe made of cast-off rags in which Mahakasyapa’s
body is wrapped was the samghati robe of Sakyamuni, the Worldhonored One.’ Upon hearing this, his disciples will feel sorry and
i54b disappointed, and thus his ninety-six crores of disciples will attain
arhatship. They will also achieve the merits derived from the
observance of disciplinary rules and moral conduct. They will then
build a stupa on top of the mountain.”
King Ajatasatru returned to his city, and the three portions of
the mountain closed together and covered the body again. King
Ajatasatru built a stupa to which he offered different kinds of
incense and flowers.
The Causes of Ananda
When the Elder Kasyapa had entered nirvana, King Ajatasatru
worshipped at Ananda’s feet and said, “Elder, when the Buddha
entered nirvana, I did not see him, and when the Elder Mahakasyapa entered nirvana, I did not see him either. If you, Elder,
wish to enter nirvana, I hope you will come to see me.” Ananda said
in reply, “Let it be so.” / _
Now Sanakavasin, the lord of merchants, returned from overseas. After storing away his treasures in his house, he went to the
Bamboo Grove. The Elder Ananda was then standing at the door
of the preaching hall. Sanakavasin went up to Ananda, worshipped at his feet, and sat to the side. Sanakavasin then said to
Ananda, “Elder, may it be known to you that I have returned safely
from overseas and wish to hold the quinquennial assembly in order
to earn merit from the Buddha and all the monks. Where is the
Buddha now?” Ananda said in reply, “The World-honored One
has entered nirvana.” Upon hearing this, Sanakavasin fainted
and fell to the ground, but when his attendants sprinkled water
on him he soon regained his senses. Then he said, “Where did
the Elder Sariputra enter nirvana?” And he also inquired where
Mahamaudgalyayana, Mahakasyapa, and some others entered
nirvana. After making the inquiries, he said again, “Elder, I wish
to hold the quinquennial assembly in order to gain merit.” Ananda
said, “You may do so as you wish.” And he did so, as has been
extensively related.
After the conclusion of the great assembly, Ananda said to him,
“Now you have completed the quinquennial assembly in order to
gain merit from the Dharma-pita&a of the World-honored One.
Today you should absorb and accept the Dharma.” Sanakavasin
said in reply, “Elder, what will you teach me?” At that time,
Ananda said to Sanakavasin, ‘You should become a monk in the
Dharma-pitaka of the Buddha.” Sanakavasin said in reply, “Let it
be so.” Then the Elder Ananda made him a monk and ordained
him, [binding him] to observe the complete moral precepts through
the performance of the ceremony of making one announcement
with three responses, all perfectly performed. Sanakavasin also
made a great vow, saying, “I shall always wear this sana garment
till my death.”
The Elder Ananda received and retained eighty-four thousand Dharma teachings, all that the Buddha and the arhats had
spoken. Sanakavasin also received and retained them all. He
completely possessed the three clear insights and was well-versed
in the Tripitaka.
At that time, the Elder Ananda was residing at the Bamboo
154c Grove, and there was then a bhiksu who recited a stanza in the
following way:
A man lives up to a hundred years
Without seeing a heron.
Another man lives for only one day,
But he has seen a heron.
This man has much more wisdom and fame
Than the one of a hundred years.
At that time, Ananda was walking nearby and heard the bhiksu’s
recitation. He said to him, “The stanza you are reciting was not
spoken by the Buddha. You should say, ‘If one man lives for a
hundred years without perceiving the rise and fall of things, and
if another lives for only one day but perceives the rise and fall of
things, this [second] man possesses much more wisdom than the
one who lives a hundred years.’ Moreover, there are two kinds of
people who slander the Buddha. One kind of people are infidels
who slander the Buddha out of hatred and resentment. The other
kind, though believers, do not properly accept and understand the
meanings of the Sutras and are also considered slanderers of the
Buddha. Just as a man with no feet and no mouth is useless, these
two kinds of people are useless, as they cannot understand the
proper meanings of the words jati (rebirth) and aristaka (heron)
mentioned in the Sutra.” And he also uttered the following stanza:
An ignorant man has no wisdom;
His actions are useless.
If a wise man does not accept the Dharma,
His wisdom is like poison.
By hearing the recitation of right knowledge,
One may gain the fruit of liberation.
The bhiksu who recited the stanza returned to the place of his
teacher and said, “Ananda said, ‘The World-honored One spoke
thus: “If one man lives for a hundred years without perceiving the
rise and fall of things, and if another lives for only one day and
perceives the rise and fall of things, the second man is much better
than the one who lives a hundred years.” The teacher said to his
disciples, “Ananda is getting old. His memory has become poor.”
And he also uttered the following stanza:
If a man reaches senility,
He loses his power of memory.
His wisdom and vigor
Also grow old.
He also said to his disciple, “Recite as you do. Do not follow his
words.”
When Ananda went again to that place, he heard [the bhiksu]
reciting the same stanza. The Elder Ananda said to him, “I have
told you, this was not spoken by the Buddha.” He answered
Ananda, saying, “My teacher said that Ananda was getting old and
that his memory had become poor.” Ananda reflected and wished
to go to the teacher to tell him the meaning. Then he considered
the mind of the teacher: Would he accept his words? He saw in his
mind that the teacher would not accept the meaning. He thought
again: Was there any other bhiksu who could tell the teacher? And
he saw that nobody could tell him. Ananda considered the matter,
“If the Buddha were in the world, I would report the matter to him
and to Sariputra, Maudgalyayana, Kasyapa, and others. But the
Buddha and all the others have entered nirvana. I also wish to
enter nirvana. By the power of the Buddha, the Dharma will abide
for one thousand years.” He also uttered the following stanza:
Recluses such as they
Have all passed away.
Now between them and me,
No distinctive mark will there be.
I am now thinking of myself
As a bird wafting in the wind.
They have entered nirvana,
Having cleared all impurities and bonds.
They were lamps in the world
That dispelled the darkness of ignorance.
Of those great energetic ones
Who observed numerous rules and ceremonies,
I am the only one surviving,
Like one tree remaining in a forest.
Then Ananda enjoined Sanakavasin, saying, “The World-honored
One, after having transmitted the Dharma-pfta&a to Mahakasyapa,
entered nirvana; and Mahakasyapa, after having transmitted it to
me, entered nirvana. Now I wish to enter nirvana, and you should
accept and guard this Dharma-pifo&a of the Buddha.
In the country of Mathura there is a mountain named Urumanda. In the country of Mathura there is a wealthy person who
has two sons named Nata and Bhata, whom the Buddha predicted
would construct a monastery on that mountain. Again, in the
country of Mathura there is a perfumer named Gupta who will
have a son named Upagupta. You should edify him to become a
homeless monk. He will be a Buddha without the characteristic
marks of a Buddha, as was predicted by the World-honored One,
who said, ‘A hundred years after my nirvana, he will perform the
functions of a Buddha.’” Sanakavasin said in reply, “Let it be so.”
Having transmitted the Dharma-pfta&a to Sanakavasin, the
Elder Ananda rose early in the morning, dressed himself in his
robes, and went to the city of Rajagrha to collect alms of food. He
thought, “I promised that at the time of entering nirvana I should
go to see King Ajatasatru.” Ananda then went to the royal palace
and said to the gatekeeper, “I am here wishing to see the great
king. You may go into the palace to inform the king about it.” The
gatekeeper said in reply, “The king is now sleeping. I shall inform
him after he has awakened.” Ananda said, ‘You may wake up the
king.” The gatekeeper said in reply, “The king must not be woken
up. If he is awakened, he will be greatly enraged; and once he is
enraged, he will punish me.” The Elder Ananda said to the gatekeeper, When the king has awakened, you should inform him that
Ananda wishes to enter nirvana. That is why I have come to see
the king.”
Ananda then went into the city to collect alms. After having
collected alms, he reflected, “If I enter nirvana at this place, King
Ajatasatru will not give a portion of my remains to the people of
155b Vaisali; and thus the people of Vaisali will certainly bear a grudge
against King Ajatasatru. If I enter nirvana in the country of
Vaisali, the people of Vaisali will certainly not give a portion of my
remains to King Ajatasatru; and thus King Ajatasatru will also
certainly bear a grudge against the people of Vaisali. Therefore, I
shall enter nirvana in the middle of the Ganges.” Then the Elder
Ananda went to the Ganges.
Meanwhile, in his sleep King Ajatasatru dreamed that the
handle of his canopy was broken, but the canopy did not fall down.
He was startled by the dream and woke in fear. The gatekeeper
reported to the king, saying, “Ananda has been here, wishing to
see Your Majesty. He is going to enter nirvana.” Upon hearing
these words, the king fainted and collapsed onto the ground. His
attendants sprinkled water on him to wake him from unconsciousness. When he had just recovered a little consciousness, he
thought, “Where will the Elder Ananda enter nirvana?”
At that moment, a divine being in the grove said to King
Ajatasatru, “The Elder Ananda, a prince of the Buddha-dharma,
protected the Dharma-pitaka and with a mind of resolve has
brought his existence in the triple world to an end. With a quiet
and tranquil mind he has gone to the country of Vaisali to enter
nirvana.” King Ajatasatru then assembled his four divisions of
troops—elephants, horses, chariots, and footmen—and proceeded
to the bank of the Ganges.
In the country of Vaisali there was also a divine being, who
uttered the following stanza to the people of Vaisali:
This recluse Ananda
Has dispelled the darkness of ignorance.
To all the multitude of the world
He shows equally the mind of compassion.
He has come to the country of Vaisali
With the intention of entering nirvana.
Then the Licchavis of Vaisali also assembled their four divisions of
troops—elephants, horses, chariots, and footmen—and proceeded
to the bank of the Ganges. At that moment, Ananda was sailing in
a boat to the middle of the Ganges, when King Ajatasatru arrived
and saluted Ananda, uttering the following stanza with his hands
joined palm to palm:
The son of the Buddha enters nirvana
With a mind of equality toward the triple world.
The Buddha whose face resembled a lotus flower
Has already entered nirvana.
You are the one under whom we take refuge.
You should never leave us or abandon us.
At that time, the people of Vaisali worshipped at Ananda’s feet and
said to him, At this place you are remembered by men and
heavenly beings, but now you wish to realize extinction. In this
world Gautama was the supreme one with perfect wisdom and
with eyes resembling lotus flowers. For the benefit of the forlorn
and solitary, you should embrace the world.”
The Elder Ananda thought in this way, “If I enter the country
of Magadha, the people of Vaisali will be vexed and annoyed. But
if I enter the country of Vaisali, the king of Magadha will be vexed
and annoyed. Today I must think over what is appropriate for me
to do.” Knowing that it was the proper time, he uttered the
following stanza:
May half of the merit of the Dharma
Be given to the king of Magadha;
i55c The other half of the merit,
To the masses of Vaisali.
Thus the two peoples
May make offerings properly.
When the Elder Ananda was about to enter nirvana, the earth
quaked in six ways. There was then a recluse possessing the
five supernatural powers who was living in the Snow Mountains
with five hundred disciples. The recluse wondered why the earth
quaked, and then he perceived that Ananda was about to enter
nirvana. Thus he went with his five hundred disciples to Ananda,
and upon arriving there he worshipped at bis feet and said with
his hands joined palm to palm, “I shall obtain from the Elder the
Dharma as spoken by the Buddha and become a fully ordained
monk to lead a pure life of celibacy.”
Then a conception arose in the mind of the Elder Ananda, All
my disciples should come.” When he had this idea in his mind, all
of his five hundred disciples, being arhats, came together to the
assembly. The Elder Ananda rotated this earth with his supernatural powers, and the recluse with his five hundred disciples
became fully ordained monks. At the first karman (act of the
ordination ceremony), the recluse and his five hundred disciples
attained the fruition of srota-apannas (those who have entered
the stream of holy living); at the second karman they attained
the fruition of sakrdagamins (those who will be reborn only
once more); at the third karman they attained the fruition of
anagamins (those who do not return); and at the fourth karman
they attained the fruition of arhatship, free from all afflictions. As
the recluse and his disciples became monks in the middle of the
Ganges, he was named Madhyantika.
After having done what he wished to do, Madhyantika
worshipped at Ananda’s feet and said these words, “Just as the
World-honored One converted Subhadra as his last disciple, and
Subhadra entered nirvana before him, you, being my upadhyaya,
should also allow me to enter nirvana before you, as I do not wish
to see my teacher entering nirvana.” The Elder Ananda said to
Madhyantika, “The World-honored One transmitted the Dharmapitaka to Mahakasyapa and entered nirvana; and Mahakasyapa
transmitted it to me and entered nirvana. Now I wish to enter
nirvana and you should receive and maintain the Dharma-pito&a.
The Buddha has said, ‘The country of Kasmira is the best place for
a monastery of meditation. One hundred years after my nirvana
there will be a bhiksu by the name of Madhyantika who will uphold
the DYi&rma-pitaka in the country of Kasmira. Therefore you
should take the Dharma-pitaka to that country.” Madhyantika
said in reply, “Let it be so.”
Having transmitted the Dharma -pitaka to Madhyantika, the
Elder Ananda manifested his supernatural powers and made
eighteen transformations, walking, standing, sitting, lying down
in midair, and entering the fire samadhi. After the conclusion of
the samadhi, his body issued rays of various colors—blue, yellow,
red, and white—with flames coming out of the upper part of his
body and water flowing from the lower part, or water flowing from
the upper part and flames coming out of the lower part. At that
time, the body of Ananda was upright and dignified, like a famous
mountain out of which pure water flowed and upon which different
kinds of flowers grew. Ananda reflected that he wished to give half
i56a of his body to the king of Magadha and the other half to the people
of Vaisali. Then, with his supernatural powers, he fulfilled this
wish to be an almsgiver. By the Diamond of Wisdom he cut his
mountain-like body in two and gave half of it to the kingdom of
Magadha and the other half to the people of Vaisali.
After Ananda entered nirvana, King Ajatasatru and all the
heavenly beings venerated one half of his remains, while the
people of Vaisali venerated the other half. Two stupas were
erected, one in the city of Rajagrha and one in Vaisali.
The Causes of Madhyantika
When the Elder Ananda had entered nirvana, Madhyantika
thought, “My teacher instructed me to bring the Buddha’s
Dharma-pfra&a to the country of Kasmira.” Madhyantika then
went to the country of Kasmira, where he sat upon a rope couch
and thought again, “As this country of Kasmira is a possession of
the Naga king, if I do not subjugate him he will not come into my
realm. I should enter the samddhi of suchness.” With the power of
the samddhi of suchness, he caused the country of Kasmira to
quake in six ways, so much so that the Naga king could not rest.
Thus the Naga king came to Madhyantika, who then entered the
samddhi of compassion. The Naga king raised a gale but could not
stir even a corner of [Madhyantika’s] robe. Then he started a
thunderstorm, but Madhyantika transformed the thunderstorm
with his divine power into heavenly blossoms such as utpala (blue
lotus), kumuda (red lotus), pundarika (white lotus), and other
flowers, all of which dropped to the ground. He also tried to injure
Madhyantika with various weapons, which were turned by divine
power into heavenly flowers. He also used a big mountain to press
onto Madhyantika, and the big mountain became a heavenly
blossom. Then the following stanza was uttered in the air:
A big wind was blowing,
But it could not stir a corner of his robe.
Thunderstorms and weapons were turned
Into celestial blossoms,
As snow on a mountain,
Under the light of sunshine,
Is melted altogether
Without any remnant.
When he entered the samadhi of compassion,
Fire could not burn him;
Weapons and poisonous injuries
Could never approach him.
Thereupon, the Naga king was frightened, and he then went to
Madhyantika and said to him, “Holy man, what do you instruct me
to do?” Madhyantika said, “Give this place to me.” The Naga king
said in reply, “It is impossible.” Madhyantika said, “It has been
predicted by the Buddha that a most superior place for meditation
would be initiated in this land, namely, the country of Kasmlra.”
The Naga king said again, “Is this predicted by the Buddha?”
i 56b Madhyantika replied, “It is so.” The Naga king said again, “How
much land do you wish to have?” Madhyantika said, “I wish to
have a place as large as a couch.” The Naga king said, “Such I shall
give.” At that time, Madhyantika enlarged his couch by supernatural power to the size of a kutaru-navaka (new tent) covering
the great earth. The Naga king said again, “How many people
will follow you?” Madhyantika said, “There will be five hundred
arhats.” Again, the Naga king said, “If there is one less than five
hundred arhats, I shall retake the residential place.” Madhyantika
wondered whether there would be five hundred arhats in the
Dharma-pitaka. Then he perceived that there would be no less, nor
even more, than that number. So he answered the Naga king,
saying, “Let it be so.”
The Elder said again, “If there are almsreceivers, there must
be almsgivers. I shall bring white-clothed lay believers to the
country of Kasmira.” The Naga king said, “Let it be so.”
Madhyantika then brought a large number of white-clothed
lay believers to the country of Kasmira, where they founded villages and towns. The lay believers said to Madhyantika, “How
shall we sustain ourselves in this place?” Madhyantika then, by his
supernatural powers, brought the lay believers to Gandhamadana
Mountain. After arriving there the lay believers dug kunkuma
(turmeric), which they brought back and planted in Kasmira.
At that time all the Naga kings at Gandhamadana Mountain
became angry, and Madhyantika converted and subjugated them.
The Naga kings asked Madhyantika, “How long will the Worldhonored One’s Dharma-pzto&a stay [in the world]?” Madhyantika
said in reply, “It will last one thousand years.” The Naga kings
promised that so long as the Buddha-dharma stayed in the world,
they would allow him to stay in their country. Madhyantika said
in reply, “Let it be so.”
Madhyantika brought the turmeric back to the country of
Kasmira and planted it. While the World-honored One’s Dharmapitaka remained, Madhyantika widely spread it and manifested
various supernatural powers. He studied the Buddha-dharma
together with the almsgivers, so as to make them understand and
comprehend its meaning. Then he entered nirvana, like a fire
extinguished by water, and his body was cremated with ox head
sandalwood and other fragrant woods. His sarira were collected,
and a stupa was erected for them.
The Causes of Sanakavasin
When the Elder Ananda had entered nirvana, Sanakavasin went
to the country of Mathura. On the way there was a monastery
named Pindavana, in which Sanakavasin spent a night. In the
monastery there were two old bhiksus, who were discussing a
stanza:
“Non-violation is the first precept;
The best learning is the selection of the Dharma.”
The bhiksus believed that
* / _ _ .
This was spoken by Sanakavasin.
Sanakavasin said to the two bhiksus, “The idea you uttered was
not spoken by me. What I said was ‘the harmony of the right
Dharma.’ Elders, once in the past there was a lord of merchants in
the country of Varanasi, who intended to sail on the great sea with
five hundred traders. On the way they met with apratyekabuddha
who was sick. The lord of merchants detained the traders to look
after tine pratyekabuddha, and he personally attended to him with
i56c the medicine prescribed by a physician. When tine pratyekabuddha
became a little better, the lord of merchants took out a sana
garment. It had been rough and coarse but was made soft and
smooth by treatment with washing and dyeing. After bathing the
pratyekabuddha, he offered the garment to him, saying, ‘Worldhonored One, that garment of yours is rough and coarse. May
the World-honored One accept mine after taking a bath. The
pratyekabuddha said in reply, ‘Good man, I am getting old, but I
became a monk in this sanavasa (hempen garment), and with this
garment covering my body I gained the holy Dharma. I shall now
enter nirvana in this same garment.’ The lord of merchants said,
‘Do not enter nirvana. When I return from the sea, I shall offer to
you, World-honored One, garments, food, drink, bedding, and
medicine so long as you do not enter nirvana. I shall now sail on
the sea and cannot stay here.’ The pratyekabuddha said, ‘Now
I must enter nirvana. You have done great meritorious deeds,
for which you should feel happy.’ Then the pratyekabuddha
showed the eighteen transformations to the lord of merchants;
and after showing the supernatural transformations, he entered
nirvana.
“The lord of merchants made offerings to the body and made a
vow, ‘I have performed various meritorious deeds for this bhiksu.
With this good root I shall obtain what I ought to obtain.’ The lord
of merchants at that time was myself. That is why I have met
with a supreme teacher who caused me to gain the Way. I wore
this sanavasa when I became a monk in the Dharma-pifa&a of
the World-honored One. With this sanavasa covering my body,
I gained the Way, and with this sanavasa covering my body,
I shall enter nirvana. I have always worn this sanavasa; even
when I was a lay believer clad in white I also wore this garment.
That was why I was named Sanakavasin. I received full ordination, and after the completion of the fourth karman I also
received the greater precepts. Even before entering nirvana, I
shall always wear this sanavasa. That is why again I am named
Sanakavasin.”
At that time, the Elder Sanakavasin gradually proceeded to
the country of Mathura and went to Urumanda Mountain, where
he sat on a rope couch. On Urumanda Mountain there were two
Naga kings, who were brothers, followed by five hundred Nagas.
Sanakavasin reflected, “If I do not subjugate them, I shall not be
able to edify them.” Thus he shook the mountain with his supernatural powers. Being enraged, the two Naga kings went to the
place of Sanakavasin, started a strong storm, and set a fire.
Sanakavasin entered the samadhi of compassion, which could
keep the storm and fire away from his body, and transformed the
water and fire into celestial blossoms, namely, utpala, kumuda,
pundarika, and other flowers, which all fell to the ground. The
Nagas again caused a thunderstorm, which was also transformed
into celestial blossoms by supernatural powers. They also tried to
throw various kinds of weapons at Sanakavasin, and these were
again transformed into celestial blossoms. They tried to press
i57a Sanakavasin with a big mountain, and he also transformed the
mountain into a heavenly flower. Then the following stanza was
uttered in the air:
A strong gale and storm
Could not hurt him;
Thundering, lightning, and weapons
Turned into celestial blossoms,
As snow on a mountain,
Under the light of sunshine,
Is melted altogether,
Without any remnant.
When he entered the samadhi of compassion,
Fire could not burn him;
Weapons and poisonous injuries
Could never approach him.
Then the two Naga kings went to Sanakavasin and said to
him, “Holy man, what do you instruct us to do?” Sanakavasin
said in reply, “I wish to build a monastery on this mountain.
You should listen to me.” The Naga kings said in reply, “It is
impossible.” The Elder said, “Such has been predicted by the
World-honored One, who said, ‘A hundred years after my nirvana,
a monastery with the name Natabhatika shall be constructed
at the best quiet and calm place on Great Cream Mountain.’ ” The
Naga kings said again, “Is it predicted by the World-honored
One?” The Elder said in reply, “It is so.” The Naga kings said, “If
it has been predicted by the World-honored One, we shall listen
to you.”
Then the Elder meditated and observed whether the almsgivers of Natabhatika Monastery had been born or not, and he saw
that they had been born. Sanakavasin rose early in the morning,
dressed himself in his robes, carried his alms bowl, and went to the
country of Mathura to collect food. After having collected food, he
went to the place of the almsgivers Nata and Bhata. Upon arriving
there, he said to the almsgivers, “Good men, you should give
me money, as I wish to build a monastery on Cream Mountain.”
The two brothers Nata and Bhata said to Sanakavasin, “We cannot
do it.” The Elder said, “The Buddha has predicted that the two
of you will construct a monastery on Great Cream Mountain.
The two men said in reply, “If it is predicted by the Buddha, we
shall construct the monastery.” Then the two of them built a
monastery on the mountain, fully provided with garments, decorations, and other articles. This monastery was thus named
Natabhatika.
The Causes of Upagupta
/ _
When Sanakavasin had constructed the monastery on Great
Cream Mountain, he contemplated whether the perfume dealer
named Gupta had been born or not, and he saw that he had been
born. He then contemplated whether [Gupta’s] son Upagupta, who
would, as the World-honored One had predicted, be a Buddha
without the characteristic marks of a Buddha and who “will perform the functions of a Buddha one hundred years after my
nirvana,” had been born or not, and saw that he had not yet been
born. With his power in expedients, Sanakavasin taught the perfume dealer to be energetic.
One day Sanakavasin went to [the perfume dealer’s] house
with a large number of disciples; on another day he went to his
house with only one disciple; and on still another day he went to
his house alone. Gupta was performing Buddhist functions, and
when he saw that Sanakavasin came to his house alone, he asked,
Holy man, why are you alone without any disciple following you?”
The Elder said, “I am an old man; how can I have anybody
following me? If somebody is energetic and takes delight in becoming a monk, then I shall have a follower.” Gupta said, “I take
delight in the enjoyment of the five desires at home, and I cannot
leave my home to become a monk. But if a son is born to me, he
will follow the Elder.” The Elder said, “Let it be so! Let it be so!
Forever keep this promise and never go back on your word.”
A son was then born to Gupta and was named Apagupta. When
he had grown up, Sanakavasin went to Gupta and said to him,
“Formerly you promised me, ‘If a son is born to me, I shall give him
to the Elder. Now a son has been born to you. This son is virtuous.
You should allow him to follow me to become a monk.” Gupta said,
Now I have only one son. When the second son is born, I shall give
him to the Elder.” Then Sanakavasin pondered whether this child
was Upagupta or not, and he saw that he was not. So he said to
Gupta, “Let it be so.”
When the second son was born, he was named Dhanagupta.
After he had grown up, Sanakavasin went to Gupta and said to
him, “Formerly you promised that when your second son was born
you would give him to me. Now that the child is born, you should
allow him to follow me to become a monk.” Gupta said, “May the
Elder not feel displeased. I have two sons to manage my family
properties together. I order one to procure wealth and one to
i 57c safeguard it. If a third son is born, I will give him to the Elder.”
Then Sanakavasin pondered whether this child was Upagupta or
not, and he saw that he was not. So he said to Gupta, “Let it be so.”
Then the third son was born, a child with handsome features
and very lovable. As his pleasant appearance surpassed that of
other men and was second only to that of heavenly beings, he
was named Upagupta. When this child had grown up, his father
kept him to make a lawful living and gained much profit. Then
Sanakavasin went to Gupta and said to him, “Good man, formerly
you promised that when your third son was born, you would give
him to me. Now that this child is born, you should allow him to
follow me to become a monk.” Gupta said in reply, “I vowed to order
him to make a living. If he gains or loses [profit], he will not be
allowed to become a monk. If he neither gains nor loses, he will be
allowed to become a monk.” Then the king of Maras (the Evil One)
caused all the people in Mathura to purchase his goods, so that he
gained profits.
Sanakavasin went to Gupta’s place when Upagupta was selling perfume. The Elder said to him, “Do you know what is good and
what is bad in your mind and mental activities?” Upagupta said in
reply, “I do not know what is good and what is bad in my mind and
mental activities.” The Elder said, “The mind and mental activities
that tally with greed, hatred, and ignorance are bad; and if they
tally with non-greed, non-hatred, and non-ignorance, they are
good.”
At another time the Elder went again to Upagupta and said to
him, “Good man, how are your mind and mental activities? Are
they good or bad?” He replied, saying, “I do not know what is good
and what is bad in my mind and mental activities.” The Elder said,
“If you wish to know what is good and what is bad in your mind
and mental activities, you should accept the Way and eliminate
what is bad in your mind and mental activities. I shall do something.” Then the Elder made some pills with black and white clay
and said to him, “If an evil mind arises, you may take one black
pill, and if a good mind arises, you may take one white pill. You
should practice the contemplation of impurity and be mindful of
the Buddha, as well as meditate on him as has been said.”
At that time, Upagupta intended to do good in his mind and
mental activities, but he collected many black pills without even a
single white one. Then he thought that he should try to get
two-thirds black pills and one-third white ones. He thought again
that he should get half black pills and half white ones. He further
thought that he should get two-thirds white pills and one-third
black ones. And he even thought that he should have only a good
mind, so that the pills he took were all white ones.
There was then in the country of Mathura a courtesan named
Vasudatta, whose maidservant once went to the place of Upagupta
to purchase perfume and received more than she had bought.
When she returned, her mistress asked her, “Where did you get so
i58a much perfume? Was it not stolen from the trader?” The maidservant said in reply, “The trader named Upagupta is a person
of perfect appearance, and he speaks so nicely, while he sells
his goods lawfully.” When the mistress heard these words, she
cherished a mind of lustful desire for Upagupta and ordered her
maidservant to go again to his place. ‘You may tell him that I
desire to have enjoyment with him.” When the maidservant told
this to Upagupta, he said, ‘You may tell her that this is not the
time for me to see her.” The maidservant returned and told this to
her mistress, who said, “He cannot afford to give me five hundred
silver coins, so he would not come.” Then she sent again her
maidservant to go and tell him, “I need no money. I only need you to
come and have enjoyment with me.” The maidservant again went
to the place of Upagupta and told him this message. Upagupta still
answered, “This is not the time for me to see her.” Then the son of
another rich man went to Vasudatta.
There was then a merchant coming from northern India to the
country of Mathura with five hundred horses and various kinds
of merchandise. After his arrival, he inquired of the people of
Mathura, “Where is the most beautiful woman in this country?”
The people of the country said in reply, “There is a most beautiful
woman whose name is Vasudatta.” The merchant said, “I wish to
go to her with five hundred silver coins and various precious
things.” The courtesan, craving the things, killed the rich man’s
son [her former paramour], put the corpse in a filthy place, and
then she enjoyed herself with the merchant. An intimate friend of
the rich man’s son discovered his body in the filthy place and
reported the matter to the king. The king said to him, “You will
seize Vasudatta, amputate her hands and feet, cut off her ears and
nose, and scatter her body in the wilds.” As ordered by the king,
her hands and feet were cut off and scattered in the wilds.
Upon hearing that Vasudatta had had her hands and feet cut
off and scattered in the wilds, Upagupta thought, “Formerly I did
not wish to see her and enjoy the five desires with her, but now I
wish to see her and have a look at her hands, feet, ears, and nose.”
And then he uttered the following stanza:
In the best of clothes was she formerly clad;
With different jewels was she decked;
Such were the things with which
Her person was adorned.
One who takes delight in liberation,
Who wishes to leave the world with detestation,
Should not go to see her then,
When she was decked with precious jewels,
But should go to see her now,
Without joy and without arrogance.
Her beauty is in its original form;
The sight of her arouses disgust and repugnance.
Upagupta, accompanied by a boy holding an umbrella, went into
the wilds. The maidservant, in remembrance of her mistress’s
kindness, stayed beside her to drive away the crows, not allowing
them to attack and peck her. The maidservant said to her mistress,
“Formerly you sent for Upagupta several times. Is he coming no
with a lustful mind?” Upon hearing these words, her mistress said,
“My good appearance has now been deformed. It is really a great
pain. Now I am on this ground smeared with blood and my whole
body is red. Such being my body, how can anyone have a lustful
mind at the sight of it?” Then she said to her maidservant, “Collect
my hands, feet, ears, and nose and put them in one place, so that
he may not see them.” The maidservant placed them together and
covered them with a piece of cloth. Then Upagupta arrived and
stood looking at Vasudatta. When Vasudatta saw Upagupta, she
said to him, “Here comes the good holy man. Formerly when my
body was capable of enjoying the five desires I sent for you, but you
said that it was not the time. Why do you come now when my
hands and feet have been amputated and I am in a bloody mire?”
And she uttered the following stanza:
Formerly this body of mine
Resembled a lotus flower;
I wore a precious garment
Of great price for its adornment.
But devoid of merit
I could not see you.
“Such as I am now, why do you come? This body of mine is without
ornaments and without joy, smeared with blood for scented ointment. It is a sight of horror and pity.” Upagupta said in reply, “I
have not come with a mind of lustful desire. It is for the sake of
contemplating lustful desire and impurity that I have come.” And
he also uttered the following stanza:
With various precious garments
And different kinds of flowers
You adorned yourself
And distracted those who saw you.
All the people who wished to see you,
But had no wealth,
Could not see you.
Now this body of yours
Is scattered all over the place.
Of all the people,
None has not seen it.
Your beauty has returned to its true form,
Devoid of adornments
And with such a stench.
The corpse is but a skeleton,
Covered with a layer of thin skin,
Filled with blood,
Wrapped in the thin skin,
Stuffed with flesh
And a thousand veins and arteries
Intertwining throughout the body.
Such is corporeality.
Where lies the beauty?
Damsels and maidens
Are outwardly lovable.
When people see them,
Their desire is aroused.
If they know what is inside,
They will attain deliverance.
The noble and respected, the mean and low,
All bear alike stinking corpses.
When a fool sees them,
He considers them pure.
When a wise man sees them,
He perceives them as impure.
This foul and filthy body
Is a store of impurity.
With various kinds of incense
It is fumigated.
This body is only abominable,
With dirt, grime, pus, and blood.
Different kinds of garments
Are used for its ornaments.
It is a container of dirt
Washed clean with water.
Fools and sinners
Are attached to it with love.
Those who have heard the good Dharma
As spoken by the Buddha,
Who profess and accept it
With minds delighting in deliverance,
Who enter groves of solitude
Depending on the Way as a raft,
Will cross to the other shore.
Upon hearing these words, Vasudatta deeply feared rebirth, and
when she heard about the virtues of the Buddha, she changed her
mind and took delight in nirvana. In reply to Upagupta, she
uttered the following stanza:
This is so, this is so;
This is as you have said.
You are truly intelligent and wise
And possess great kindness.
You should tell me more now
About the Buddha’s wonderful Dharma.
Upagupta then preached the Dharma, namely the four noble
truths, point by point. He also contemplated the body, and through
the contemplation of the body he realized the detestability of the
world of desire. As he himself preached the Dharma, he thoroughly
comprehended the four noble truths and attained the fruition of an
anagamin, while Vasudatta attained the fruition of a srota-apanna.
At that time Vasudatta said to Upagupta, “Excellent! Excellent! Mahasattva (great being), it is by your power that the three
evil ways and the places of great sufferings are closed, and that the
path leading to heaven and nirvana is opened. Now I take refuge
in the Tathagata, the one worthy of worship and fully enlightened,
as well as in his Dharma and Sangha.” And she also uttered the
following stanza:
I go to take refuge in the Buddha,
The Most Honored One among bipeds,
Whose eyes resemble blue lotuses,
And who is praiseworthy among men and heavenly beings;
And also in his pure Dharma, free from desires;
As well as in the supreme arhat Sangha.
Having made her happy through his preaching of the Dharma,
Upagupta returned to his own place, and shortly after his departure Vasudatta died and was reborn in the heavens. At that time,
the heavenly beings informed the people of Mathura that she had
been reborn in the heavens. After hearing this, the people made
offerings to her remains. /
Then the Elder Sanakavasin went to Gupta and said to him,
“You should allow Upagupta to follow me and become a monk.”
Gupta said in reply, “Formerly I promised you that I would ask
him to make a living and would allow him to become a monk
only if he were unskillful and blunt in business.” Then the Elder
i59a Sanakavasin, employing his supernatural powers, rendered
[Upagupta] unskillful and blunt in business. Upagupta thought
that he was unskillful and blunt in measurement and calculation.
Sanakavasin went again to Gupta and said to him, “This son of
yours has been predicted by the Buddha, who said, ‘A hundred
years after my nirvana he will perform a Buddha’s functions.’ You
should allow him to follow me and become a monk.” Then Gupta
allowed him to become a monk.
At that time, the Elder Sanakavasin brought Upagupta to the
Natabhatika Monastery and made him a fully ordained monk. At
the moment of the first karman, he got rid of all bondages and
attained the fruition of arhatship. Sanakavasin said to Upagupta,
“Good man, you have been predicted by the Buddha: ‘A hundred
years after my nirvana, there will be a bhiksu named Upagupta
who will be a Buddha without the characteristic marks of a
Buddha and will perform a Buddha’s functions.’ And he also said
that among the Buddha’s disciples, you would be foremost in
edifying others. Good man, you should perform beneficial deeds for
the Buddha-dharma.” Upagupta said in reply, “Let it be so!” And
Sanakavasin taught him to preach the Dharma.
When all the people of Mathura heard that a bhiksu named
Upagupta, who was a Buddha without the characteristic marks of
a Buddha, was going to preach the Dharma, innumerable thousands of people wished to go to listen to him. The Elder Upagupta
then contemplated in samädhi and saw that when the Buddha
preached the Dharma, his audience, consisting of the four groups
of devotees, sat in a group shaped like a crescent moon. He
contemplated again: In what order did the World-honored One
teach the Dharma? And he saw that the order was the taste of
desire, the faults of desire, the outlet of desire, the four faiths, and
so on, one by one up to nirvana. Upagupta also preached the
Dharma in the same way.
At that time, the king of Maras rained pearls on the assembly
to distract the minds of the people. As the people in the assembly
were distracted, none of them could understand the four noble
truths. Upon seeing that the minds of the people were distracted,
Upagupta thought to himself, “Who is doing this to distract the
minds of the assembly?” Then he found that it was being done by
the king of Maras.
On the second day the people who came doubled in number,
and Upagupta again preached the true Dharma of the four noble
truths point by point. At that time, the king of Maras again rained
gold to distract the minds of the assembly, and none of the people
could understand the four noble truths. Upon seeing that the
minds of the people were distracted, Upagupta thought to himself,
“Who is doing this to distract the minds of the assembly?” Then he
found that it was being done by the king of Maras.
On the third day the people who came doubled in number, and
Upagupta again preached the Dharma, while the king of Maras
again rained pearls mixed with gold, to the accompaniment of
heavenly music performed by apsaras (goddesses). As the people
in the assembly were not free from desire, their minds were excited
by the sight of the beauties and the sounds of music, and they
listened no more to the preaching of the Dharma. The king of
159b Maras then put a garland around the neck of Upagupta. Upagupta
thought, ‘Who is doing this?” He found that it was being done by
the king of Maras. He pondered in his mind, “As this king of Maras
always caused disturbance to the Dharma-pjta&a of the Worldhonored One, why did the World-honored One not edify him?”
Then he thought to himself, “I may edify him, as the Buddha
predicted that I would be a Buddha without the characteristic
marks of a Buddha to edify people and convert them.” Then he
considered, “Is this the right time for me to edify him?” He saw that
the time had arrived for the king of Maras to receive edification.
At that time, the Elder Upagupta took three corpses, the first
of a dead snake, the second of a dead dog, and the third of a dead
man. With his supernatural powers, he transformed the three
corpses into garlands and took them to the place of the king of
Maras. At the sight of Upagupta, the king of Maras was greatly
pleased, [thinking], “Upagupta has accepted my edification.” And
he stretched his body to receive the garlands. Upagupta tied him
up with his own hands, fastened the dead snake on his head, and
fixed the dead dog and dead man under his neck. Upagupta said
to the king of Maras, “As you first insulted me with unrighteous
flowers, now I return [the insult to] you by fastening corpses upon
you. Now you are dealing with a son of the Buddha. If you have
any supernatural power, show it to me.” Just like a gale that
agitates the water of the sea into waves but cannot stir Malaya
Mountain, so the king of Maras wished to free himself from the
corpses but could not do so even though he tried with utmost effort.
He was as helpless as a gnat trying to move a mountain. Greatly
enraged, the king of Maras rose up into the air and uttered the
following stanza:
If I cannot free myself
From the corpses on my neck,
I may be freed by other divine beings
With powers greater than mine.
The Elder Upagupta also uttered the following stanza:
You may go to take refuge under Brahman, /
The sun, the moon, and Sakra;
You may go into fire and the great sea;
The corpses will not be burned, rotted, or loosed.
I have bound these corpses
Tightly on your neck.
It was done by supernatural power,
And none can detach them.
The king of Maras went to Mahesvara and Sakra in the Thirtythree heavens as well as to the Four Heavenly Eings, trying to get
rid of the corpses, but he could not free himself from them. Then
he went to Mahabrahman. Mahabrahman said to him, “Good m an,
since this was done by the supernatural powers of a disciple
possessing the ten powers, who ever could rid you of them? It is
like water that cannot break the shore of a great sea.” He also
uttered the following stanza:
If Snow Mountain is bound
With fibers of lotus root,
It can be lifted up
Without much difficulty.
It is by the power of divinity
That corpses are fixed on your body.
I do not have the ability
To rid you of them.
All the powers possessed
By me and the heavenly beings
Cannot surpass those of the Tathagata
And his disciples,
As other lights are inferior
To the light of fire,
As the light of fire is inferior
To the light of the sun.
The king of Maras said, ‘What would you teach me to do? Under
whom shall I take refuge?” Mahabrahman said, “You should now
go quickly to take refuge under Upagupta. As a man has to
stand up from where he has fallen, you have to stand up through
his supernatural powers, since your downfall was caused by his
supernatural powers.” Then the king of Maras realized that the
supernatural powers of a son of the Buddha were great. He pondered over the matter and uttered the following stanza:
If Mahabrahman takes refuge
In the Buddha, his disciples, and the Dharma,
Who else can estimate and measure
The divine powers of the Tathagata?
The Tathagata’s divine powers
Really could have subjugated me.
But out of pity and compassion
He did not subdue me.
“Now I have come to know the powers of the Buddha, and it needs
no extensive reiteration.” He also uttered the following stanza:
Now I understand
That the World-honored One is compassionate,
And that his mind is free from impurities,
Comparable to a golden mountain.
Because of my ignorance,
I disturbed the Buddha everywhere
And did evil at all places;
But he did not subdue me by force.
Then the king of Maras, who was the lord of the world of desire,
had no place to escape from Upagupta and pondered over the
matter. He gave up his arrogance, went to Upagupta, and worshipped at his feet, saying, “Elder, since the time of the Bodhi tree
up to the present day, the evils I have committed against the
World-honored One are immeasurable and innumerable. Once I
caused the Buddha to have no food to eat when he went to the
house of a Brahman in the country of Sala. That was done by me.
For the evils I committed, the Buddha did not blame me. Sometimes I changed myself into a dragon, a snake, a wicked demon, or
various kinds of fearful things to frighten him, but the Worldhonored One never blamed me. Elder, today you are pitiless and
cause the whole world of heavenly beings and Asuras to blame and
sneer at me, making me feel ashamed.”
Upagupta said to him, “You are unwise and do not know how
to think of things, trying to compare the merit of the compassion
of the Tathagata with that of a bhiksu. It is like comparing a grain
of mustard seed with Mount Sumeru, or equating a glowworm
i60a with the sun, or taking a scoop of water and putting it on a par with
the great sea. The compassion of a sramana is not comparable to
that of the compassionate Buddhas of the ten quarters. That was
why the Buddha could endure the evils you committed.” The
king of Maras said, “The Buddha had cut off all delusions and
dissolved all doubts and had great patience. As I was wicked and
had passions, I was always ready to annoy the Buddha. The
World-honored One protected me with his compassion. That was
why the Buddha did not subjugate me. Elder, you should instruct
me.
Upagupta said in reply, “Good man, now listen to me! You
committed so many evils and did so many bad things toward the
Buddha that unless you cherish a mind of faith and respect for
the Tathagata, you cannot be absolved from your misdeeds. As the
Buddha had foresight far into the future, he did not subjugate
you.” He also uttered the following stanza:
Your mind has lacked deep respect,
But the Tathagata has initiated it.
From smallness it will increase to greatness
Until you gain the fruit of nirvana.
Of all the evils you have committed,
Only a brief part has been told.
You should wash away the defilement of passion
With the water of the wisdom of recollection.
The king of Maras remembered the Buddha, and the hair on his
body bristled like kadamba flowers. He also uttered the following
stanza:
Many things I did
To vex the World-honored One,
But he was not angry.
I wish to be compared to a son
Whose guilt and faults are forgiven
By his father’s pardon.
At that time, the king of Maras spent much time in meditating on
the beneficence of the Buddha, and as he remembered the Buddha
his mind was cooled down. He worshipped at the Elder’s feet and
uttered the following stanza:
The Elder today
Has accepted me
And enabled me to revere
The World-honored One.
Now these corpses
Are bound on my neck
As my ornaments.
May the great recluse,
By the power of compassion,
Remove them for me.
The Elder Upagupta said, “If you can make a promise, I shall
remove them for you.” The king of Maras inquired, “What promise?” Upagupta said, “From now onward you should never annoy
bhiksus.” The king of Maras said in reply, “Let it be so! Let it be so!
But you should teach me how to do it.” The Elder answered,
saying, “The Dharma -pitaka of the World-honored One should
be widely spread, and that is what I am doing.” Being amazed,
the king of Maras said again, “Teach me how to do it!” The
Elder said in reply, “You should know that I became a monk one
hundred years after the Tathagata entered nirvana. I have seen
i 60b the Dharmakaya of the World-honored One, but I have not seen
his Rupakaya (physical body). As you are now accepted by me, you
should show me the Rupakaya of the Tathagata. I now take delight
in nothing else except in seeing the body of the Buddha.” The king
of Maras replied with the following stanza:
We should make an agreement together.
When you see what I appear to be,
The material body of the Tathagata,
You must not worship me.
Only to the All-wise One
Should homage be paid.
If the Elder paid it to me,
I should be destroyed.
Now I am not qualified
To bear the worship of a holy man,
Just as the bud of an airavata tree
Cannot bear the weight
Of the tusk of an elephant.
Thus we should make this agreement.
The Elder Upagupta said in reply, “Let it be so. I shall not worship
you.” The king of Maras said again, “Just wait a few moments. I
shall enter the grove and transform myself into the form of the
Buddha with brilliant golden hues and a halo as bright as sunlight,
just as I did once in the past to mislead a wealthy man named
Sura. Such a material body was wonderful. I shall now appear as
it, so that all those who see it may have faith with joy.” Then the
Elder Upagupta said in reply, “Let it be so.” And he removed
the three corpses, as he wished to see the physical body of the
Tathagata.
Then the king of Maras went into the grove and transformed
himself into the body of the Buddha. Having assumed the form of
the Buddha, he came out of the grove, just as a woman goes behind
a screen to adorn herself and comes out again after having dressed
up. The physical form of the Tathagata was incomparable, and
none of the people who saw it was not pleased to see it. It was like
a colored painting with different hues.
When the king of Maras had glorified the grove with his
transformed body, he also appeared as Sariputra at the right
side and Maudgalyayana at the left. Again, he appeared as
Ananda holding an alms bowl at the back and as Mahakasyapa,
Aniruddha, Subhuti, and so on, as one thousand two hundred fifty
great sravakas surrounding the transformed Buddha in a group
shaped like a crescent moon. After having made these transformations, he went to Upagupta. Being greatly delighted to have
seen the Buddha’s physical form, Upagupta rose from his seat and
watched the physical form of the Buddha without turning his eyes
away from it for a moment. And he uttered the following stanza:
Impermanence is merciless;
It ruined the Tathagata’s material form.
Impermanent was the Tathagata;
He dissolved his form and entered nirvana.
Upagupta fixed his attention on the Buddha, and his mind could
not part from him. “Now I see this transformed body, and it is the
same as seeing the real Buddha.” With a concentrated mind, he
put his hands palm to palm and uttered the following brief stanza
in praise of the Buddha:
His face is superior to a lotus flower,
His eyes, better than the bloom of the utpala.
His color outshines a grove of many blossoms
And also surpasses real gold.
He is more lovely than the moon;
His light is brighter than the sun.
His wisdom is deeper than the sea;
Steadier than Mount Sumeru is his immovability.
He walks more gracefully than the king of lions,
And he blinks more sedately than the king of bulls.
As his mind was filled with joy, he again uttered the following
stanza aloud:
By his deeds of mental purity,
He has gained this excellent fruit.
It was created by his own deeds
And was not made by others.
For countless and innumerable kalpas
He cultivated pure deeds of body and speech
And practiced the six paramitas perfectly
As ornaments for his unhindered body.
All those who see him are overjoyed;
He is admired even by his enemies.
Now, as I see the Tathagata,
How can I not feel joyous?
As he was thinking of the Buddha, Upagupta did not sense that it
was Mara and prostrated himself at full length at the feet of the
king of Maras like a great tree with its roots broken falling on the
ground. Being startled, the king of Maras said, “Elder, you should
not break your promise.” The Elder said in reply, “What promise?”
The king of Maras said, “We made an agreement that when I
appeared as the Buddha, you would not worship me. Why do you
worship me now?” The Elder rose from the ground and replied in
a low voice, “I am not unaware that the Tathagata entered nirvana
like fire extinguished by water. But [when] I saw the physical body
of the Tathagata, it was so wonderful that I worshipped it; I did
not worship you.” The king of Maras inquired, “You prostrated
yourself with your head touching my feet; how can you say that
you did not worship me?” Upagupta said, “I neither worshipped
you nor did I break my promise. Now listen to me. Suppose there
is a Buddha image made of clay; the worshipper thinks of it as the
Buddha and not as clay. Now, as I see you, I think of you as the
Buddha and not as a Mara.”
Then the king of Maras ceased to assume the appearance
of the Buddha, made offerings to Upagupta, and returned to
his own place. Four days later, the king of Maras struck a bell
with his own hands to make an announcement to all people:
“Those who wish to be reborn in the heavens and attain nirvana
should go to Upagupta to seek advice and receive the right
Dharma from him. Those who have not seen the Buddha should
go to Upagupta.” Then the king of Maras uttered the following
stanza:
Those who wish to enjoy wealth and nobility
And do not like to live in poverty,
i6ia Who wish to enjoy heavenly bliss
And the great happiness of nirvana,
Should listen to and accept the Dharma
And ponder over its meanings and main points.
Those who have not seen
The supreme one among bipeds,
The great teacher possessing compassion
Who spontaneously gained the holy Dharma,
Should all go to Upagupta.
He is the man acting as a bright lamp
For this world.
At that time, his voice was heard throughout the country of
Mathura. After Upagupta had subdued the king of Maras, the
Brahmans and all the other people in the country of Mathura went
to Upagupta. He was sitting on a lion seat and preaching the
Dharma for the congregation without any fear in his mind, like a
lion. He uttered the following stanza:
A man without intelligence
Can never ascend the lion seat.
If he ascended the high seat,
He would be deeply struck with great fear.
Only a man as fearless as a lion,
Who can refute the theories of the heretics,
Is competent
To ascend the lion seat.
Upagupta preached the Dharma point by point, namely, the four
noble truths, which were first spoken at the beginning. At that
time, innumerable people attained the fruition of a srota-apanna,
a sakrdagamin, or an anagdmin, and eighteen thousand persons
renounced their homes and attained arhatship through the practice of meditation and the strenuous cultivation of the Way.
On Urumanda Mountain there was a cave eighteen cubits long
and twelve cubits broad. At that time all the disciples had done
what they ought to do, and the Elder Upagupta said to them, “I
have taught all my disciples to attain arhatship. Each of you who
have attained arhatship should put a chip four inches long into the
cave.” In one day’s time eighteen thousand arhats put chips into
the cave. It became widely known throughout the great earth
up to the seaside that in the country of Mathura there lived
Upagupta, who was the foremost in teaching and converting the
people as the Buddha had predicted.
The Causes of Sanakavasin’s Attainment of the Way
/ _
When Sanakavasin had made Upagupta a monk and Upagupta
converted and subdued the king of Maras, Sanakavasin thought
for the sake of converting living beings, “I have already received
the right Dharma, and now I wish to proceed to the country of
Kasmira to enjoy the bliss of samddhi, as it was predicted by the
World-honored One that the county of Kasmira would be a firsti6ib rate place for sitting in meditation.” Then Sanakavasin went there
and entered a cave to enjoy the bliss of samddhi. When a gust of
cool wind blew on his body, he realized arhatship and enjoyed the
bliss of emancipation. Then he uttered the following stanza:
Wearing a sana garment,
Keeping contact with five kinds of samddhi
At the best place on the mountain,
I sit erect in meditation.
May the voice of the wind
Announce to the whole of Kasmira: /
This person Sanakavasin
Has gained the bliss of the Way.
I pledge with my purity
That I have gained perfect liberation.
This person Sanakavasin
Has uttered this stanza himself.