English
And at one time, a ship going thus, even for seven days, the fish in the river Not gone, as stated in the commentary, the path's measure from Sri Lanka to Suvaṇṇabhūmi is equal to the path's measure from Sudhamma city to Sri Lanka. Indeed, from Sudhamma city to Sri Lanka there are about seven hundred yojanas. When the wind is favorable, a sailing ship reaches it in seven days and nights. Thus, it is understood by this estimation of the path. How by estimation of location? Indeed, Suvaṇṇabhūmi is situated near the great ocean. It is a great port, a place for merchants from various countries to visit. Therefore, Prince Mahājanaka and others came by ship from Campā city and other places for trade to Suvaṇṇabhūmi. Sudhamma city also now stands near the great ocean. Thus, it is understood by this estimation of location. Others say Suvaṇṇabhūmi is indeed the country of Haribhuñja. They say this because of the abundance of gold there. Still others say it is indeed the country of Siam. All of that should be investigated. Others say Aparanta is indeed a separate, single country. Still others say Aparanta is indeed the country of Sunāparanta. That is indeed correct. If it is asked, "Why is Aparanta understood to be the country of Sunāparanta?" Because it is mentioned by two names in the commentaries. Indeed, in the Uparipaṇṇāsa Commentary and the Saḷāyatana Saṃyutta Commentary, the commentary masters, when showing the pre-eminent position attained by Thera Koṇḍadhāna in the matter of distributing tickets in the country of Sunāparanta, mentioned Aparanta by associating it with the word "suna". However, in the Dhammapada Commentary and the Aṅguttara Commentary, that same country is mentioned without the word "suna". Here, the word "suna" is a synonym for "son". King Mandhātu's eldest son, having summoned the inhabitants of the four continents, assigned them separate dwelling places. There, the place for the inhabitants of the northern continent was called Kuru country. And for the inhabitants of the eastern continent, it was called Videha country. For the inhabitants of the western continent, it was called Aparanta. Because they were born in the western continent, they... spoken by the word 'suna'. For those born there are indeed called 'sons' or 'suna', just like the Vajjiputtaka monks. It should be understood that they use this very word 'suna' to distinguish them, either by way of desire or by way of linguistic usage. The country called Yona is indeed the dwelling place of the Yavana people, which is called Jangamangha. The country called Vanavasi is the region of the city of Sirikhetta. Some, however, say that the country called Vanavasi is a country itself, not the region of the city of Sirikhetta. That is not good. For the region of the city of Sirikhetta is indeed called Vanavasi. Why is this known? In the time of this our king's brother-king, in the city of Sirikhetta, from a mound of earth covered by bushes, an ancient iron Buddha image, submerged within, was obtained. And on its pedestal, an ancient inscription is seen, beginning with "for the worship of the inhabitants of Vanavasi country". Therefore, this is known. The country called Kashmir-Gandhara is Kashmir country and Gandhara country. These countries, however, stand united. Therefore, the Elder Majjhantika was sent to both countries. But due to being a region, it becomes singular neuter. At that time, however, they also say that it was mentioned in the commentary in the singular form, being a region established by the command of one king. The region called Mahimsaka is the Andhaka country, which is called the country of Yakkhapura. The country called Maharattha is the country of the great city. Nowadays, they indeed refer to Maharattha itself, not combining it with the word 'nagara', as the country of the great city. Teachers also say it is the country of Siam. The country called Cina is indeed the country of China, which stands united with the Himalayas. This is the establishment of the Dispensation, separately in nine places. Now, starting from the beginning, the story of the lineage of elders should be told. For the co-resident of the Blessed One, the Perfectly Self-Enlightened One, was Elder Upāli, his disciple was Elder Dāsaka, his discip... The Elder Soṇaka, his disciple the Elder Siggava, and the Elder Candavajji, their disciple the Elder Moggaliputtatissa— these five great elders are the first in the lineage of the Dispensation, called the succession of teachers. Indeed, their succession of disciples, the succession of elders, has not been broken up to the present day. In the succession of teachers, only conscientious monks should be included and spoken of, not shameless monks. For shameless monks, even if they are very learned, by being greedy for gain and greedy for worldly praise, destroy the Dhamma tradition and create great danger in the excellent Dispensation. The work of protecting the Dispensation is indeed the domain of the conscientious, not of the shameless. Therefore, the ancient elders said, reflecting, "Who will protect the Dispensation in the future?" "The conscientious will protect the Dispensation in the future! The conscientious will protect! The conscientious will protect!" They uttered this saying three times. Thus, it should be understood that there are many shameless individuals even in the Middle Country. Indeed, more than a hundred years after the Buddha's Parinibbāna, as mentioned before, the Vajji-puttaka monks, having expounded unrighteous matters, consulted with the wicked monks who were excluded at the time of the First Council, sought allies, and held a council under the name of the Mahāsaṅgīti (Great Council), as if they were great elders. And having done so, they became separate groups. Alas, this is a laughable act, just as an old jackal, inflated with pride by its quadrupedal commonality, thinking itself a lion, roars a lion's roar like a lion. They, not knowing the teaching as it truly is, only by the shadow of faith, did not discern the true meaning. They even removed some of the teaching. And that was only in their own group, not in the group of Dhamma-speakers. They corrupted the Dhamma and Vinaya and acted as they pleased. This Mahāsaṅgīti, however, is one group of unrighteous speakers. After that, as time passed, from that very group, breaking away from each other's views, one group called Gokulika and another called Ekabyohāra— two groups broke off. After that, from the Gokulika group itself, breaking away from each other... A group called Bahussutika, and one called Paññattivāda, these two groups split off. Again, from these very groups, a group called Cetiyavāda split off. After that, a long time having passed, from the Dhamma-speaking groups, entering a dissimilar group, a group called Mahīṃsāsaka, and one called Vajjiputtaka, these two groups split off. After that, from the Vajjiputtaka group itself, splitting off from each other, a group called Dhammuttarika, one called Bhaddayānika, one called Channāgārika, and one called Samutika, these four groups split off. Again, from the Mahīṃsāsaka group, splitting off from each other, a group called Sabbatthivāda, one called Dhammaguttika, one called Kassapiya, one called Saṅkantika, and one called Suttavāda, these five groups split off. Thus, in the Middle Country, while the great elders were reciting the Second Council, from the Dhamma-speaking Theravāda group, splitting off separately, seventeen non-Dhamma-speaking groups arose. And these non-Dhamma-speaking groups are not included in the lineage of elders in the Dispensation. Indeed, they are not beneficial to the Dispensation, and cannot be included or accepted into the lineage of elders, just as a crane in a flock of swans, and just as a wild ox in a herd of cattle, and just as base metal in a heap of gold. However, the lineage of elders coming from Mahākassapa Thera and others, in the Parivāra Khandhaka, beginning with "Upāli, Dāsaka, etc.", and in the Samantapāsādikā commentary, should be understood in the manner presented. Inferring the pure conduct and so forth of Upāli Thera and others, up to Moggaliputtatissa Thera, it is possible to know the pure conduct and so forth of those elders, just as, by inferring the rain in the upper course of a river, it is possible to know the abundance of water in the lower course of the river; this is called the method of inference from cause. However, up to Moggaliputtatissa Thera, by inferring the pure conduct and so forth of those elders, it is possible to know the pure conduct and so forth of Upāli Thera, just as, by seeing smoke above and inferring, it is possible to know that there is fire. This is called the method of inference from fruit. However, by inferring the pure conduct and so on of the elder Upāli, who was at the beginning, and the elder Moggaliputtatissa, who was at the end, it is possible to know that the pure conduct and so on of the elders in between, such as Dāsaka, Soṇa, Siggava, and others, were also pure. Just as, by seeing and inferring the footprints on the near side and the far side of a stone slab, it is possible to know that there are unseen footprints in the middle—this is called the method of footprints. Thus, by these three methods, this Theravāda community should be known as one that speaks the Dhamma and is modest and scrupulous. Similarly, the method should be extended upwards. And the lineage of elders, up to those recorded in books, should be understood according to the way stated in the Parivāra-khandhaka and the Samantapāsādikā, starting with Mahinda, Iṭṭiya, and so on. Thus ends the discourse on the lineage of the Dispensation, which has arrived at nine places, in the Sāsanavaṃsa. This is the first chapter. 2. The discourse on the lineage of the Dispensation in the island of Sihala. 2.