English
Homage to Him, the Blessed One, the Worthy One, the Fully Enlightened One. In whom the excellent relics of the Jina lay, all around, Shining brightly with rays of six colors, Having fashioned the form of the Jina for the benefit of the world, That wondrous Stupa, having bowed with my head; I shall speak of the lineage of the Stupa, beneficial to the entire world, The cause of joy for all people, The Stupa with its radiant jeweled pinnacle, Always revered by gods, demons, and excellent human rulers; Although it was made in the past by an ancient ascetic For the benefit of the Sinhala people, Merely touching upon the meaning in the Sinhala language Does not properly accomplish the purpose for all people; And because the Stupa-Chronicle, even in the Magadhi language, Is confused with words of contradictory meaning, And because much that should be said has not been said, Therefore, I shall again speak this chronicle; Listen, all good people, to the complete and unconfused Chronicle of the Teacher's Stupa, which is being spoken by me. Here, in "I shall speak of the lineage of the Stupa," the Tathagata, the Worthy One, the Fully Enlightened One, is worthy of a Stupa, the Paccekabuddha is worthy of a Stupa, the Tathagata's disciple is worthy of a Stupa, the Wheel-turning King is worthy of a Stupa, because of the saying that the Buddhas and others who are worthy of a Stupa, having enshrined their relics, a monument made is called a Stupa by way of elevation. Here, however, the Golden Sandalwood Great Stupa is intended. Whose relics having been enshrined was it made? The one who received prediction in the presence of the twenty-four Buddhas beginning with Dipankara, having fulfilled the thirty perfections, having attained supreme enlightenment, from the turning of the Wheel of Dhamma until the discipline of the wandering mendicant Suhadra, having completed all the duties of a Buddha, having passed away into the element of Nibbana without remainder, having enshrined the relics of that Blessed One, the Worthy One, the Fully Enlightened One, this is the summary here. But the detailed account should be understood. It is said that at the summit of one hundred thousand aeons plus four incalculable aeons ago, there was a city named Amaravati. There lived a brahmin named Sumedha. Without doing any other work, he studied brahminhood. His parents died when he was still young. Then his wealth-increasing minister brought the account book, opened the vaults filled with gold, silver, gems, and pearls, and said, "This much, young sir, belongs to your mother, this much to your father, this much to your grandfathers, down to the seventh generation of ancestors," and added, "Take care of this." He agreed, saying "Good," and while living at home, one day he thought: Rebirth in a future existence is suffering, and so is the breaking of the body in each new birth. And I am subject to birth, subject to aging, subject to sickness, subject to death. Since this is so, it is fitting that I seek the unborn, the unaging, the unsick, the undying, the blissful, the cool, Nibbana. Thinking thus about renunciation, he thought again: "All this wealth of mine, my fathers and grandfathers, when going to the next world, did not take even a single coin with them. It is fitting that I make it a cause for going." Having a drum beaten in the city, giving alms to the people, entering the Himalayas, he took the ascetic's vows, and within seven days developed both the higher knowledges and the attainments, and lived on the bliss of attainment. Then the Teacher named Dipankara, having attained supreme enlightenment, spent seven weeks near the Bodhi tree, and having set the Wheel of Dhamma rolling in Sunanda's Park, having given the nectar of Dhamma to a hundred million beings, gods and humans, like a great rain cloud covering the four continents, raining down the rain of Dhamma, surrounded by four hundred thousand arahants, wandering in due course, arrived at Ramma City and stayed at Sudassana Monastery. Then the residents of Ramma City, taking medicines such as ghee and molasses, with flowers, incense, and perfumes in their hands, approached the Buddha, paid homage to the Teacher, honored him with flowers and so on, sat down to one side, and listened to the Dhamma. Having invited the Blessed One for the morrow, they rose from their seats, circumambulated the Ten-Powered One, and departed. The next day, preparing an unparalleled great offering, they cleaned the path for the Ten-Powered One's arrival. At that time, the ascetic Sumedha, rising from his hermitage, seeing those inhabitants of Rammanagara, joyful and delighted, cleaning the path, while he was passing through the sky above them, thinking, "What could be the reason?" descending from the sky, within sight of all, he stood to one side and asked those people, "Friends, for whom are you cleaning this path?" They said, "Venerable Sumedha, do you not know? A teacher named Dīpaṅkara, having attained supreme enlightenment, turning the excellent Wheel of Dhamma, wandering on a tour of the country, has gradually arrived at our city and resides at the Sudassana Mahāvihāra. We have invited that Blessed One, and we are cleaning the path for the arrival of that Blessed One." Hearing that, the wise Sumedha thought, "Even the sound 'Buddha' is rare, let alone the arising of a Buddha. Therefore, it is fitting that I too, together with these people, clean the path for the arrival of the Ten-Powered One." So he said to those people, "If you, friends, are cleaning this path for the Buddha, accepting one opportunity for me," knowing that this wise Sumedha is powerful and of great influence, they designated one hard-to-clean, water-soaked, very uneven place, saying, "Clean and decorate this place." The wise Sumedha, generating joy focused on the Buddha, thought, "I am able to make this place extremely beautiful with my power, but doing so would not satisfy me. Today, I must perform physical service." Bringing earth, he filled that muddy place. In that uncleared place, a maiden, wearing a saffron-colored upper garment, covering the three circles, and adorned with a cluster of flowers like a jayasumana blossom, Like a lightning flash, binding the body tightly, as if pouring lac-dye on the golden mountain peak, as if encircling the golden stupa with a coral net, as if wrapping the golden calf with a red blanket, as if covering the autumn moon with a red cloud, having put on the excellent red silk robe, dyed with lac-dye, the color of the blossom of the *kiṃsuka* tree, like a lion emerging from a golden cave, from the fragrant chamber, surrounded by four hundred thousand arahants, like the ten-eyed Indra surrounded by a host of gods, like Mahā Brahmā surrounded by a host of Brahmās, with incomparable Buddha-majesty, born of the power of merit accumulated for an immeasurable time, like the autumn moon surrounded by a host of stars, he proceeded along the adorned and prepared road, illuminating the sky. 5. The ascetic Sumedha, seeing the Blessed Dīpaṅkara, coming along that adorned and prepared road, his body adorned with the thirty-two marks of a great man, enhanced by the eighty minor marks, his majestic form surrounded by a fathom-wide aura, emitting six-colored Buddha-rays, like various lightning flashes in the sky, his body having attained the highest beauty, thought: "Today it is fitting for me to sacrifice my life for the Ten-Powered One. Let not the Blessed One step in the mud. Let him step on my back, together with the four hundred thousand arahants, as if stepping on a jeweled causeway. That will be for my long-term welfare and happiness." Having loosened his hair, and spread out his deerskin garment, matted hair, and bark clothes in the mud, he lay down right there on the muddy ground. And lying down, he thought: "If I wished, having extinguished all defilements, I could enter the city of Ramma as a newly ordained monk. But there is no need for me to extinguish my defilements and attain Nibbāna in an unknown guise. Rather, having attained supreme enlightenment, like Dīpaṅkara, the Ten-Powered One, having placed the great multitude on the ship of the Dhamma, I should cross the ocean of suffering and then attain Nibbana. Thinking, "This is fitting for me," and establishing eight qualities, he made a firm resolution for Buddhahood and lay down. The Blessed One Dipankara also arrived, stood on the hair of Sumedha the wise, saw the ascetic lying in the mud, and contemplating, "Has this ascetic made a resolution for Buddhahood and lain down? Will his wish be fulfilled, or not?" Knowing, "In the future, a Buddha named Gotama will arise," he stood and declared in the assembly, "Do you see this ardent ascetic lying in the mud?" "Yes, venerable sir." "Having made a resolution for a great purpose, his wish will be fulfilled. At the end of four incalculable periods and a hundred thousand aeons, a Buddha named Gotama will arise." Thus, he declared everything. This was said in the Buddhavamsa: Dipankara, the knower of the world, The receiver of offerings, Standing on my head, Spoke these words: "Behold this ascetic, The matted-haired, ardent ascetic. In immeasurable aeons from now, This one will become a Buddha. He will leave the beautiful city of Kapilavatthu, Thus, the Tathagata. Having striven in exertion, Having performed difficult deeds, A Buddha in the world." "Sitting at the foot of the Ajapala tree, The Tathagata, There, having accepted the milk-rice, Will approach the Neranjara River. On the bank of the Neranjara River, Having partaken of the milk-rice, that Victor, By the excellent path prepared, Will go to the Bodhi tree. Then, having circumambulated, The unsurpassed one, at the Bodhi-mandapa, At the foot of the Assattha tree, The greatly glorious one will awaken. His birth mother, Will be named Maya, His father will be named Suddhodana, This one will be Gotama.