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Sāsanavaṃsa -(History of Dharma)(English | 中文 | བོད་ཡིག)

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offered alms food to those elders. Then the elder Atula had those great elders bring sand from a distant place and scatter it near the house of that lay follower. This caused an uproar, as it was a disciplinary act for those acting contrary to the Vinaya. As they were bringing the sand, they spoke among themselves. One elder said: "Now, venerable sirs, for us who act in accordance with the Vinaya, such an act is improper. Oh, what a wondrous thing is the world!" Then another elder said: "Now, friends, the guardian deities of the world, seeing such an unrighteous act, cannot remain indifferent and unconcerned. Now, I think the guardian deities of the world are negligent." At that very moment, a cloud quickly arose and in the elder Atula's monastery, in the royal house, and at that very moment thunderbolts fell. Even so, that elder, due to his excessive pride and stubbornness, did not regain mindfulness. Again, the king asked his ministers, "Now, in my kingdom, do all the bhikkhus follow the opinion of my teacher, or not?" The ministers then reported to the king, "Now, great king, in Kukhananagara, in Nīpagāma, there is an elder named Munindaghosa, who, by wearing a robe, instructs his assembly, and having produced many virtues, he resides there." Then the king said, "Summon him, and in the Sudhammasabhā, having gathered the great elders, let them instruct that elder, showing him the true nature of not knowing the Vinaya regulations as they truly are." Then the ministers did so. The great elders gathered in the Sudhammasabhā, summoned him, and instructed him. Among those great elders, one elder, looking at the face of the king and the Sangharāja, but not looking at the face of the Perfectly Enlightened Buddha, said to Elder Munindaghosa, "Now, friend, in this Maramma country, all the bhikkhus have become unified, following the command of the king and the Sangha. You alone, with your assembly, wear a robe and reside. Why do you, being proud and stubborn, continue such improper conduct without abandoning it?" Then Elder Munindaghosa, looking directly at the face of that elder, said, "I had heard before that you are modest, conscientious, and desirous of training. However, it is not proper for such a person to utter such words. Indeed, such words are unseemly for such a person. If you, thinking me to be of little merit, without splendor, and helpless, wish to speak disrespectfully, even so, by looking at the face of my teacher, by knowing the virtues of my teacher, and remembering that I am his disciple, it is not possible to utter such unrighteous words." Then that elder asked him, "Who is your teacher?" Then, placed in the Sudhammasabhā, Having made a Buddha image, he said, "This is my teacher." Having said "My teacher," he then rose in the midst of the assembly of monks, arranged his upper robe over one shoulder, sat in a squatting position, clasped his hands in reverence, and announced, "Venerable Sir, until the end of my life, I will even sacrifice my life, but I will not abandon the precepts of the Blessed One, the foremost in the world." Then the king, hearing that matter, proudly thought, "This one is fit to be exiled from my kingdom, he should be banished to another country." And by royal command, he sent him to another country. The royal officials summoned him and brought him to another country. Having reached a region called Bahaṅga, a leader of Bahaṅga gave a bribe to the royal officials and said, "Sirs, this is a border area of the Maramma country. Leave him here and you may return." The royal officials took the bribe, left him there, and returned. The elder, giving advice in the manner of robes to the monks and novices who had come from the four directions, and teaching them the scriptures, remained there. He also made an explanation of the Abhidhammatthasaṅgaha text in the Maramma language. Later, the king, hearing that matter, said, "Now that elder is residing right on the border of my kingdom, doing work that we disliked and prevented. Summon him!" The royal messengers went there and summoned him. The elder, thinking, "Now the king wants to kill me," renounced his monastic training, donned lay clothes, and came with them. Having arrived at the city, at the appointed time, they brought him to the king. Then the king said, "I heard that you, being a monk, were increasing your following. Why are you now a layman?" "If, Your Majesty, you summoned me intending to kill me, in that case, if you were to kill me while I had not renounced my training, it would be a heavy deed for you. Considering this, to make your deed not heavy, I renounced my training and came. If you intend to kill me, He was killed. The king, having placed him in prison, went to fight Siam. But having gone to fight, when he returned, he died on the way. Then, in the Kaliyuga, when one thousand two hundred and twenty-two years had passed, his eldest son, named Siripavaramahādhammarājā, ruled the kingdom. Because he had moved from Ratanasikhanagara and built Jeyyapura for the second time, he was also known as Jeyyapuramāpeko Rājā. At that time, he brought the Elder Ñāṇa, who resided in Mahāpabbatabbhantaranagara, and appointed him as his teacher. That Elder was profoundly wise; he was capable of memorizing nine or ten recitations in a single day. Even as a newly ordained monk, he wrote the Padavibhāga commentary, the Nyāsa commentary, the Yamaka commentary, and the Mahāpaṭṭhāna commentary in the Maramma language. The king built a monastery named Mahābhūmirammaṇiyavihāra and gave it to him. He also bestowed upon him the title Ñāṇālaṅkāramahādhammarājagurū. At that time, the Elders of the Pārupana group thought thus: "Now, our Elder, who is on our side, has become the king's teacher. Now we will gain recognition." Having thought thus, they sent a message to the king, saying that when the novices entered the village, they should enter wearing their robes. Then the Elder Atula sent a message to the king, saying that this matter had been settled in the manner previously mentioned. Therefore, they did not get an opportunity to show their mutual responses. After that, in the Kaliyuga, when one thousand one hundred and twenty-five years had passed, his king, named Siripavarasudhammamahārājindādhipati, ruled the kingdom. Because he was the third builder of Ratanapūra, he was known as Ratanapūramāpako, and because he was the lord of a certain Chaddanta Nāgarāja, he was also known as Setibhindoti. He brought the Elder Candāvara, who resided in Caracca village, and appointed him as his teacher. Sūmikittiatula had a monastery built and gave it to him. He also gave him the title Jambudīpaanantadhajamahādhammarājaguru. During the reign of this king, some people held wrong views; he summoned them and made them adopt right view. During the reign of this king, the one-sided group found no opportunity to prevail. After that, in the Kaliyuga, when one thousand and thirty-eight years had passed, the son of that king, named Mahādhamme Rājādhirājā, reigned. He had a five-storied monastery built in the southern part of the city, named it Jeyyabhūmivāsātula, and gave it to the elder named Mārāvaṭṭana. He also gave him the title Guṇamunindābhisāsanadhajamahādhammarājādhirājaguru. At that time, the elder named Nandamāla resided in a monastery in the eastern part of Calanganagara and taught texts to many monks and novices. He constantly advised them, saying: "When novices enter a village, they should only fulfill the practice of wearing the outer robe. The one-sided practice, however, is not found in the Pāḷi, nor in the commentaries, nor in the sub-commentaries, nor in other texts, and it is not in accordance with the Dhamma." He showed the decisions found in the Pāḷi and commentaries, etc., and composed a text. Then, the one-sided monks brought that text to the king to expose its faults. At that time, the king had such a dream: Sakka, the king of devas, dressed in white garments, adorned with white ornaments, and wearing white flowers, came to the king and said: "Mahārāja, from other countries, on the banks of the Nampadāna river, at the Footprint Shrine, many grasses have grown, their roots intertwined with roots, stems with stems, leaves with leaves, covering and standing there. These were not purified by former kings, who did not know the truth. Now, you, who know the truth and wish to make it pure, must purify them. And there, a monk will come and..." will show in the teaching. Having seen such a dream, he had a monk named Nandamāla summoned and settled him in the royal residence built for water sports near the city of Ratanapūra. Then the elder informed the king, citing Pāli commentaries and sub-commentaries, that the novices should enter by covering themselves when entering the village, just as the Great Elder Moggaliputtatissa advised King Siridhammāsoka. Then the king, endowed with accumulated perfections and great wisdom, knew, "Only the teaching of covering is found in Pāli commentaries and sub-commentaries; the teaching of a single robe is not found anywhere in them." Having thus understood, he gathered the elders of both factions in the royal palace and had them present their respective views. Then the elders of the single-robe faction asked, "Where is your teaching of covering found?" Thereupon, the elders of the covering faction replied that the teaching of covering is found in Pāli commentaries and sub-commentaries, in passages such as "I will cover myself completely." After that, the elders of the covering faction asked, "Where is your teaching of a single robe found?" Then those elders of the single-robe faction, like those who have entered a doorless house, or like those traveling on a forest path at night, could say nothing. Although it is said that the mouth is for speaking and eating, they could not satisfy the king, even by saying whatever came to mind.