English
Therefore, he sent these jewels and many other gifts to the great king Dhammāsoka as a present, saying, "Give these to my friend." He, seeing them, rejoiced and sent five royal kakudha implements and many other gifts for the consecration, saying, "Let my friend be consecrated." a gift. Not only a material gift. It seems he sent a gift of Dhamma too. 26. I go to the Buddha, the Dhamma, And the Sangha for refuge; I declare myself a lay follower, In the dispensation of the Sakyan's son. 27. In these three objects, Supreme among men, Having pleased my mind, I go to refuge with faith. The ministers, returning to Lanka, consecrated the king. At that time, Moggaliputta Tissa Thera, considering where the dispensation would be well-established in the future, knew that it would be well-established in the border regions. Having sent those Theras to those places, he went to Mahinda Thera and instructed him to enlighten the island of Tambapanni. Sakka, the king of the gods, approached Mahinda Thera and said, "Venerable sir, King Mutasiva has passed away. Now, King Devanampiyatissa is ruling. You were foretold by the Sammāsambuddha that in the future a bhikkhu named Mahinda would enlighten the island of Tambapanni. Therefore, venerable sir, now is the time to go to the excellent island, and I will be your companion." The Thera, accepting his words, rose into the sky from the Cetiyapabbata Vihara with six others and landed on Missaka Mountain to the east of Anuradhapura. This is now known as Cetiyapabbata. At that time, it was a festival day in Tambapanni. The king, having ordered his ministers to hold a celebration, went out of the city with forty thousand men, heading to Missaka Mountain, wanting to play at hunting deer. Then, a deity dwelling on that mountain, wanting to show the Theras to the king, appeared as a rohita deer, seemingly eating grass and leaves not far away. The king, thinking, "Now is the time to shoot the unguarded and careless one," twanged his bowstring. The deer began to flee, taking the Ambatthala path. The king, chasing after it, climbed up to Ambatthala itself. The deer disappeared not far from the Theras. Mahinda Thera saw the king coming not far away. Let the king himself see me. He said, "Do not hesitate, Tissa, Tissa, come here." The king, hearing that, thought: "In this Tambapaṇṇi Island, there is no one who can address me by name, calling me Tissa. But this one, with torn and tattered robes, wearing ochre rags, calls me by name. Who could he be? A human or a non-human?" The Elder said: We are ascetics, great king, disciples of the King of Righteousness; Out of compassion for you, we have come here from Jambudīpa. The king, recalling the message sent by King Dhammāsoka, wondered, "Have the venerable ones arrived?" Immediately he put down his weapons and sat to one side, engaging in friendly conversation, exchanging courteous words. At that moment, those forty thousand men came and surrounded him. Then the Elder showed the other people to the king. The king, seeing them, asked, "When did these arrive?" "Just now, with me, great king." "Now, are there other ascetics like this in Jambudīpa?" "Great king, at this time Jambudīpa is radiant with ochre robes, swept by the wind of ascetics. In it, versed in the three Vedas, possessing psychic powers, skilled in understanding the minds of others, Arahants, with defilements destroyed, many disciples of the Buddha." The king, hearing that, was pleased. Then the Elder, knowing his aptitude for wisdom through the simile of the tree, taught the Dhamma, causing the world with its gods to shout "Sadhu!" Thus it was said: Knowing him to be wise, the Elder taught the Cullahatthipadopama Sutta, to the great-minded ruler of the earth. At the end of the discourse, he, along with those forty thousand men, was established in the refuges. Then the king requested of him, "Venerable sir, tomorrow, please accept alms at my house." Having gone and adorned the city and the royal palace, he seated the Elders and served them with excellent food, and then sat to one side with the five hundred women, headed by Anulādevī. Then the Elder caused a rain of the jewels of the Dhamma to fall. Then those five hundred women attained the fruit of stream-entry. Then at the elephant stable, a thousand, In the Nanda garden, a thousand, Thus on the second day, two and a half thousand beings Were established in the fruit of stream-entry. On the third day, one and a half thousand beings, Thus he gave the nectar of the Dhamma to many hundreds, Many thousands, many hundreds of thousands. For it was said: 31. The great Mahinda sun, In the sky of Lanka, Caused to bloom the lotus Of those who could be led, with the rays of the Dhamma. 32. The great Mahinda moon, In the sky of Lanka, Awakened with the rays of the Dhamma, The pond of those who could be guided. 33. The great Mahinda cloud, Rained with the rain of the Dhamma, In the minds of the virtuous, He generated shoots of merit. Then the king, through the novice Sumanasāmaṇera, Brought the bowl relic that had been used by the Perfectly Enlightened One From the hand of Dhammāsoka, And the right collarbone relic from Sakka, And beginning with the stupa on Cetiyapabbata, He had stupas built at every yojana in the whole island of Lanka, And enshrining the right collarbone relic, He established the Thūpārāma stupa. Then, planting the great southern branch of the Jaya Mahābodhi tree Brought by the Theri Saṅghamittā, He caused a festival to be held. All the detailed account here should be understood from the Mahāvaṃsa. 34. Through the fault of the opposing debaters, As if born in the ocean of others, The approval of the attainment thus, In Lanka, became supreme. 35. Thinking that even evil thus bears fruit, Knowing that this is the fruit of merit; O, wisely do meritorious deeds, Going where they do not grieve. The eighth story, about the three merchant brothers. 39. In the story of Bodhirājadhītā, this is the sequential account: When the Blessed One had passed away and the Dispensation was well established in Lanka, there was a village called Hakureḷī. There a girl was playing here and there with the village girls, and at that time there was a great abyss near the village. There a wild animal... The tree always stands full of leaves and flowers. People, seeking flowers for offerings to the Buddha, would wade through the water, climb the tree, and pluck the flowers. Seeing this, a maiden brought a dry, sturdy piece of wood and placed it as a bridge, thinking, "May these people cross easily and pluck the flowers." From then on, people crossed using it and plucked the flowers. Then, having passed away from there, by that same meritorious deed, she was reborn in Jambudīpa, in the city of Pāṭaliputta, as the daughter of King Somadatta, possessing an excellent form, like a celestial nymph. Her parents called her Bodhirājakumārikā. Through the power of the bridge she had built in the past, a swift, sky-going Sindh horse named Suvīraka was born for her. The king's daughter's father, a devotee of the Buddha, a devotee of the Dhamma, a devotee of the Sangha, accumulating great merit, seeing the Sindh horse, his mind delighted, thinking, "I have found a companion for making merit," mounted the horse and went three times a day to venerate the Great Bodhi Tree. The king's daughter, seeing him, went to her father and repeatedly asked, "Father, where are you going?" The king said nothing. Then, she repeatedly pressed her father, asking him. Then the king, explaining it to her, spoke thus: 1. Our Blessed One, formerly, fulfilling the ten perfections; Gave head, eyes, blood, flesh, even life itself. 2. Children, wives, and kingdoms too, having attained the ultimate perfection; Having spent countless aeons, in the Kapilavatthu. 3. Born in the Sakya clan, unmatched in the world; Having attained the sovereignty of a wheel-turning monarch, the lord of men. 4. Having seen the four omens, having renounced, he went forth; Approaching the foot of the Bodhi tree, he sat on the diamond throne. 5. Having created a thousand arms, filled with various weapons; A form causing great fear, like a black mountain. 6. Having created and mounted the elephant Girimekhala; Having gathered the army of Mara, come with the makara. A flag. 7. By the power of the perfections, that army of Māra was routed; Where the Victor sat, destroying a thousand defilements. 8. The unblinking eyes, for seven days, served the Victor; Worshipped by gods, Brahmās, perfected beings, serpents, and men; To venerate that victorious Bodhi, I go constantly. 9. Whoever, going always, attends to the Bodhi tree; With incense, oil lamps, perfumes, and various offerings, properly. 10. That person is free from disease, in this life and the next; Is honored and respected, long-lived, strong, and happy. 11. Therefore, by the being desiring that benefit, seeking good; That Bodhi tree should be attended to always, with faith. Hearing that, the maiden, her body filled with joy, having saluted her father, said, "Father, I too will go." But the king did not wish her to go, fearing danger. Then, having entreated her father three times, she was permitted by the king. From then on, together with her father, mounting a Sindh horse, she constantly went to venerate the Bodhi. Then, later, the king, lying on his deathbed, thought, "My daughter constantly goes to attend to the Bodhi. Whatever danger may arise for her in the future, it will arise from that. What should I do about it?" Then, having summoned the Sindh horse, whispering in its ear, he said thus, "Dear one, my daughter, constantly with your help, goes to venerate the Bodhi. Whatever danger may befall her there, that is not fitting. On her journeys to and fro, protect my daughter." Having entrusted his daughter to it, he passed away.