English
Homage to that Blessed One, the Worthy One, the Perfectly Self-Enlightened One. The Lamp of the Dispensation's Lineage The Buddha, the excellent garland, foremost of bipeds, (who dispels) darkness, Having destroyed, he awakened here, the lotus (from) mud; On the supreme rock of the path, well-established, established, May he protect me long, with happiness, always, always. Indeed, from the island of Sri Lanka, having come from other lands; Requested by monks, I shall make, the Lamp of the Dispensation's Lineage. Although by the ancients, the Lamp of the Dispensation's Lineage; with extensive narration, was composed with certainty. But that (work) in the Burmese language, because it was made for these; inhabitants of other islands, is not very useful. Therefore, in the original language, I shall indeed make (it); having compared with texts, may the good people consider it. Here is the table of contents – 1. The path of the story of the Dispensation's lineage in nine places, 2. The path of the story of the Dispensation's lineage in Sri Lanka, 3. The path of the story of the Dispensation's lineage in Suvaṇṇabhūmi, 4. The path of the story of the Dispensation's lineage in the Yona country, 5. The path of the story of the Dispensation's lineage in the Vanavāsī country, 6. The path of the story of the Dispensation's lineage in other western countries, 7. The path of the story of the Dispensation's lineage in the Kasmīra and Gandhāra countries, 8. The path of the story of the Dispensation's lineage in the Mahiṃsaka country, 9. The path of the story of the Dispensation's lineage in the Mahāraṭṭha country, 10. The path of the story of the Dispensation's lineage in the China country. 1. The path of the story of the Dispensation's lineage in nine places 1. And there, the path of the story of the Dispensation's lineage in nine places should be understood thus. Indeed, our Blessed One, the Perfectly Self-Enlightened One, for the welfare of those to be trained, disregarding the happiness at hand, at the feet of the Blessed One Dīpaṅkara, having received the prediction, a mañjūsaka flower, for four incalculable eons and a hundred thousand eons, in many births, without regard for his own weariness, having fulfilled the thirty perfections, having passed away from the state of Vessantara, experienced divine happiness in the Tusita city. Then, being exhorted by the devas, in Kapilavatthu, from the queen, the mother of Hosa, and so forth, of the great king named Suddhodana, of an unbroken Kshatriya lineage, by the chief queen, of unbroken... Having conceived in the womb on the full moon day of Āsāḷha, on a Thursday, by the power of the three perfections; having been born on the full moon day of Vesākha, on a Friday, after a full ten months; having attained kingship at the age of sixteen; having passed twenty-nine years; at the time of going forth to the pleasure garden, having seen the four signs shown by the devas, having become greatly stirred; having gone forth in the Great Renunciation; having cut off his hair, which was the color of a bumblebee, on the bank of the river named Anomā; having put on the saffron robe given by Devadatta; having partaken of the milk-rice given by the daughter of the wealthy man named Sujātā, forty-nine times, on the bank of the river named Nerañjarā, on the full moon day of Vesākha, at dawn; in accordance with the custom of previous Fully Enlightened Ones, having floated the golden bowl in the river; having approached the Great Bodhi Maṇḍa; having sat on the Unconquerable Throne; having cut off the heads of the many hundreds of defilement-enemies, who had followed him like a shadow since the beginning of the immeasurable saṃsāra, with the four path-swords; having attained the supreme state of the Great Dhamma King of the three worlds; for forty-five years, in various places, for various beings, having extended the net of great compassionate absorption; having expanded his teaching knowledge; having taught the Dhamma; he established the Dispensation. And having established it, having shone forth during his eighty-year lifespan, he attained final Nibbāna with no remainder of aggregates, like a lamp whose flame is extinguished. There is no understanding nature that says: "This death-nature is to be excessively loved, this is to be excessively respected, this is to be excessively feared," in the three worlds. It takes away even the Bhagavā, the supreme person of the three worlds; what then of us, who are just ordinary people? Oh, how wonderful are conditioned things! And here there are these verses: This death-nature, shameless and without conscience, takes away even the supreme one of the three worlds, how much more so others. Just as a cow-killer, a thief, begins only to kill, having obtained an ox in the world, that is its only purpose. Even so, the king of death and, The virtue of the Hindagūna here; He does not know it, He began to kill it. When the Blessed One had been fully extinguished for seven days, the Venerable Mahākassapa, coming from Pāvā to Kusīnārā with over a thousand and three hundred bhikkhus, heard on the way that the Blessed One, the Perfectly Enlightened One, had attained final Nibbāna. Seeing the bhikkhus who were not yet free from sorrow weeping, an old bhikkhu named Subhadda, who had ordained late in life, spoke thus: "Do not lament, friends, there is no one here to grieve for. Previously, we were troubled by the ascetic, the recluse, saying, 'Do this, this is suitable for you; do not do this, this is not suitable for you,' just like a slave by a debt collector. But now, whatever we wish, that we can do; and whatever we do not wish, that we can refrain from doing." Hearing that, [Mahākassapa thought,] "Because of such an enemy, the teaching of the Perfectly Enlightened Blessed One would quickly disappear. Now, even while his body, like a heap of gold, still exists, a great danger has arisen to the teaching, which was produced with difficulty. Such a person, having found another such person as an ally, might grow and be able to diminish it, I think." Having fallen into mental distress and gained a sense of urgency regarding the Dhamma, he thought, "I will make this bhikkhu wear white clothes right here, scatter ashes on his body, and cast him out." Then it occurred to the Venerable Mahākassapa Thera, "Now, even while the body of the ascetic Gotama still exists, people will criticize, saying the assembly is quarreling." After that, having calmed and forgiven this thought, [he considered that] even though the Perfectly Enlightened Blessed One has attained final Nibbāna, the Dhamma taught by him still exists. For the firm establishment of the Dhamma taught by him, the teaching, when recited, will not disappear because of such individuals; it will certainly endure for a long time. Having reflected thus, and recalling the support for the Dhamma in the form of the dust-heap robes and other things given by the Blessed One, In the third month after the Parinibbāna of the Blessed One, on the fifth day after the full moon of the Āsāḷha month, in Rājagaha, at the Sattapaṇṇi Cave, with King Ajātasattu as patron, together with five hundred Arahants, the first Saṅgāyana was held for seven months. At that time, removing the remaining one hundred and forty-eight Kaliyuga years, they made the Sāsana equal to the Kaliyuga and established it. When King Ajātasattu had reigned for eight years, at that time, in the Maramma country, in Taṅkosaṅgatvapura, King Jambudīpadhaja had reigned for more than five years. In this first Saṅgīti, the Venerable Mahākassapa, the Venerable Upāli, the Venerable Ānanda, and the Venerable Anuruddha, and other such great elders, numbering five hundred, first recited and supported the Sāsana. Thus, the evil words of the wicked monk Subhadda became the cause for the support of the Sāsana. Subhadda, the wicked monk, was a resident of Ātumānagara, belonging to a barber family. When the Blessed One went to Ātumānagara, he made his two sons, young novices, perform barber's work, and with the rice, oil, and other things obtained, he cooked gruel and gave it to the Buddha with the Saṅgha. The Blessed One, however, did not accept them, and asking the reason, he rebuked him, and laid down the Dukkaṭa offense for accepting what is not allowable, and the Dukkaṭa offense for a monk of barber origin holding a razor. Because of that reason, bearing a grudge, and wishing to destroy the Sāsana, as if swallowing and vomiting a hot iron ball, he spoke such wicked words. King Ajātasattu said, "Let your Dhamma-wheel prevail, I will set my command-wheel in motion, be at ease and recite!" Thus he supported them. Therefore, he should be known as the first king to support the Sāsana. And the lineages of the five hundred Arahants, led by Mahākassapa, are numerous, beyond counting. What needs to be said further here, should be known according to what is stated in the commentaries. They But the Mahātheras, having recited, attained final Nibbāna. Here there are: Those theras, endowed with power, Having made the first recitation; Having upheld the Dispensation, Reached the sway of death. Although powers existed, Yet abandoning them; They attained Nibbāna, under the sway of death, Having reached it, like those with clipped wings. What then of our story, In our understanding; There is no essence in death, Thus should the wise one hold. This is a summary of the story of the First Recitation. Thereafter, for a hundred years, their lineage of disciples upheld the Dispensation.