English
without looking at the face of the Blessed One, the Perfectly Self-Enlightened One, without recollecting the virtues of the Blessed One, the Perfectly Self-Enlightened One, and knowing that their own doctrine was like a hand stretched out in the sky, without support, our v First, they made a support for those who were without support, saying it was the lineage of the Elder Saddhammacāri who had arrived in Lanka. They falsely accused the great Elder, who was virtuous. In a village named Phyasī, they gave a bribe to a wicked lay follower, who had fallen to a low state, not caring about this world or the next. They instigated him, saying: "Make a book according to our views!" And without fearing the suffering to be experienced in the future, they sought support. At that time, the Elder residing in Nigrodhapāli Suvaṇṇa Vihāra, gathered the village-dwelling monks, formed an assembly, and became its leader. Wearing headbands, they declared: "Let inauspicious monks not remain in the Dispensation!" They corrupted the books of the forest-dwelling monks, and expelled them from various places. Then, thinking: "We will also expel more than fifty monks residing in the monastery to the northeast of Hatthisāla village, and to the southeast of Seṭṭhitaḷāka," the village-dwelling monks prepared themselves and went. Then the king, hearing of this matter, sent a royal letter, saying: "The group of village-dwellers is one, the group of forest-dwellers is one. The village-dwelling monks cannot harass the forest-dwelling monks. Let them reside in their respective places according to their respective views." Then the forest-dwelling monks obtained an an opportunity to live peacefully. When a thousand and seventy-six years had passed in the Kali Yuga, the son of that king, named Mahāsīhasūradhammarājādhirāja, reigned. He was also known as Sūrajjarāja and Setibhindu. During the reign of that king, a minister, the chief of the inner palace, brought the Elder named Ukkaṃsamāla, who resided in Suvaṇṇayānolokanagara village. Reaching Ratanapūra city, he had a monastery built on Suvaṇṇakukkuṭācala hill and established him there. He was exceedingly skilled in the Pāli commentaries, sub-commentaries, and other texts. He also composed a writing style called Vaṇṇabodhana. However, because his family was entrusted by the kings of that village with the work of maintaining the cetiya, he was not placed in the position of the king's teacher, but was honored by the chief of the inner palace himself. he sent them out. In the time of that king, when the novices were going to the village, some said, "They should enter covered." Others, however, said, "They should enter with the upper robe over one shoulder." Thus they quarreled among themselves. There, the elder named Ukkaṃsamālā, being prominent in the group advocating covering, declared that the practice of covering was found in various texts. In the group advocating one shoulder, the great elders residing in Tiriyapabbata Monastery, following the tradition of their teachers, rejected the argument for covering. Then the king, placing these four elders— the elder residing in Phalikakhacita Monastery, the elder residing in Meghuccana Monastery, the elder Suhattha, and the elder Buddhaṅkura— in the position of Vinaya arbiters, said, "Let the two parties present their respective arguments." These four elders were not skilled in Pāḷi, commentaries, sub-commentaries, or other texts. Indeed, apart from being favored by the king, they possessed no other special quality to be royal teachers. Just as tigers, unable to catch deer, even if small and weak, when hidden in difficult places like trees, bushes, and vines, even so, those elders advocating covering, relying on the king, were unable to overcome the elders advocating one shoulder in argument, even though they were weak due to not being mentioned in the texts. Therefore, knowing the strength of the opposing side, and showing deference, and settling the dispute, like a wise warrior who sits down, the group advocating covering sat down without bringing the argument to a conclusion. However, in the Kaliyuga, when one thousand and ninety-five years had passed, his son, named Mahārājādhipati, ruled the kingdom. Later, when one hundred and thirteen thousand years had passed, the king of Ramañña country overcame him, and because it was not taken, it became known as Pattahaṃsāvatī. In the time of that king, he brought the elder named Ñāṇavara from the village of Jālayutta in Kukhananagara and appointed him as a teacher. That elder was exceedingly skilled in Pāḷi, commentaries, sub-commentaries, and other texts. He was a reciter of the Pariyatti in the Sudhamma assembly. For the benefit of others, he first made a commentary on the Abhidhammatthasaṅgaha treatise. After that, he made a commentary on the Aṭṭhasālinī, and on the Surāvinicchaya. After that, requested by that king, he translated the meaning of the Abhidhānappaṭīpikā into the Maramma language. Adorning the king's name-seal with methods of metrics, rhetoric, grammar, and the Vidaggadaṇḍībyañjī, he also made a treatise called Rājādhirājanāmatthappakāsinī. The king, having demolished the house built in the place called Hatthisāla, had a hundred monasteries built, and having assigned names like Kittijeyyavāsaṭṭhāpana to all the monasteries, he gave them to that very thera. And by the name of the monastery, the thera also received that same designation. At that time, during the reign of King Akyakara and his father, to settle the unresolved dispute between those two groups, he had each group present their own arguments to quell the dispute again. In the Pārupana group, that thera was the leader; in the Ekaṃsika group, the praised thera was the leader, and they debated as if in battle. Then the king appointed the thera residing in the Jeyyabhūmisuvaṇṇavihāra, who was very dear to the king, to the position of Vinaya arbiter to decide their dispute. Although that thera, knowing only a little of the Pāli commentaries, sub-commentaries, and other texts, was indeed insignificant among those skilled in the scriptures, yet, because he was dear to the king, the king, not knowing the truth, appointed him to the position of Vinaya holder. Just as a king might appoint a rustic, grown up by the plowshare, capable only of distinguishing directions like "this is east, this is west," to the position of judge in the royal court; even so, the king, not knowing "this is such, this is such," appointed him to the position of Vinaya holder. Therefore, that thera residing in the Jeyyabhūmisuvaṇṇavihāra was unable to say of the two arguments of the two parties, "this is true, this is false." It was then like entering a doorless house. Just as, for instance, A buffalo, standing near itself, does not know any difference in the sounds of a divine musician singing divine songs and playing a divine lute, and a village boy striking a bamboo stick. Thus should this comparison be seen. Then the king issued a royal decree: "In my kingdom, whatever monks desire whatever, those monks having done that, should sit according to their deeds." Their dispute did not cease then. Later on, when one hundred and thirteen thousand had passed, the city of Ratanapura was destroyed. Thereafter, in the second year, the king who founded Ratanasikha city, by the power of his own merit, like a cātaka bird from a barley field, drove out the army of the king of Ramañña country from Maramma country, and having taken the entire Ramañña country into his own hands, he ruled the kingdom. And at that time, he gladdened the minds of all the inhabitants of Maramma country. Just as, by sprinkling cool water, water lilies wilting from the sun's heat are made fresh again, even so, for the inhabitants of Maramma country, both householders and monks, who were suffering from the heat of the army's power of the king of Ramañña, he, by sprinkling the cool water of his own merit, produced two kinds of happiness, physical and mental. And all the inhabitants of Maramma country called him, "This our king is a Bodhisatta!" Then, in one month, on the four Uposatha days, he invited the community of monks, brought them into the inner palace, and fed them with alms food. He observed the Uposatha together with the royal ministers. He also made all the royal ministers memorize the recitation of the three qualities along with their explanations. Then, having brought the elder residing in Beluvagāma, he placed him in the position of his own teacher. He also gave him the title "Mahā Atulayasadhammarājaguru." From then on, he became known by the name Atulatthera. And at that time, the elder Sujāta and others, residing in Pārupanagaṇa-pakkhāpaliṇa village, when novices entered the village, would put on their robes and enter having written the letter "sitam" sent a message-letter to the king. Then the monks of the Ekamsika group, including the elder Atula, wrote a letter to the king, saying: "In the time of former kings, disputes were settled. Now, a settled matter should not be raised again." And they sent it to the king. Then the king, though wishing to hear the arguments of both sides, had many royal duties at that time. He set aside the matters concerning the Dispensation, saying: "First, I will attend to royal duties. Later, I will attend to matters concerning the Dispensation." Afterwards, the king issued this command: "Now, in my kingdom, all monks shall follow the opinion of my teacher." Then the monks of the Pārupana group also followed the Ekamsika group, in accordance with the king's command. However, in the village of Sahassorodha, two great elders instructed their assembly, saying: "The custom of entering the village should be fulfilled according to the Pārupana tradition." And they sat down. Then the king's teacher, the elder Yasa, hearing of this matter, had them summoned. When they arrived in the city, a devoted lay follower