English
Then the king, seeing the Sangha of monks standing thus, with a delighted mind, honored them with perfumes and garlands, circumambulated them, paid homage in the four places, entered the place of the full pot, and with a golden peg, a silver revolving staff, in the presence of his living parents, Having had it taken by a minister's son, Sujāta by name, well-adorned, well-prepared, and auspiciously regarded, he began to have a great Cetiya enclosure made. While he was having it made, the elder Siddhattha prevented him. It was thus in his mind: "If the great king makes a great Cetiya, he will die before it is finished, and in the future it will be difficult to maintain." At that moment, the Sangha of monks said, "The great king is wise, it is fitting to heed the elder's words." The king, knowing the Sangha's intention, thinking the elder would do it, said, "What size, venerable sir, shall I make it?" The elder, saying, "Make the Cetiya enclosure to the extent of my walking," instructing him, departed, flying away. The king, having had the Cetiya enclosure made according to the elder's words, approached the elder, asked his name, honored him with garlands of incense and other offerings, and having paid homage, stood surrounded. He also approached the remaining eleven elders who were standing around, honored them, paid homage, and asked their names, and then asked the name of the minister's son who was holding the wandering staff. When it was said, "I, O king, am Suppatiṭṭhita Brahmā by name," having asked, "What is your father's name?" and being told, "Naṇdisena by name," he asked the mother's name. When it was said, "Sumanādevī by name," he was delighted, saying, "The names of all are auspiciously regarded; the Cetiya work I am having done will certainly reach completion." Then the king, in the middle, had eight golden pots and silver pots placed, and surrounding them, he had 108 full pots placed. Then he had eight golden bricks placed. Surrounding each one, he had 108 silver bricks. He also had 108 cloths placed. Then, having had one golden brick taken by the minister's son named Suppatiṭṭhita Brahmā, he had the remaining seven bricks taken by seven ministers' sons with similar names and living parents. At that moment, an elder named Mitta was wandering in the eastern direction. There, in that marked ground, he placed a ball of perfume. The Elder Jayasena, pouring water, Sprinkled and leveled it. Suppatiṭṭhitabrahma, under an auspicious constellation, In that place, free from various inauspicious things, First established the auspicious brick. The Elder Sumana, with jasmine flowers, Worshiped it. At that moment, having made a water boundary, A great earthquake occurred. In the same way, the remaining sixty bricks Were also established. Then the king, having established the silver bricks, And worshiped them with perfumes and garlands, Having completed the auspicious rites, Taking golden-bowl flowers, Approached the Elder Mahā Buddharakkhita, Standing in front of the Sangha on the eastern side, And worshiped and venerated him with perfumes and garlands. Having asked the names of the monks standing around the Elder, Then, approaching the Elder Mahā Dhammarakkhita, Standing on the southern side, The Elder Mahā Saṅgharakkhita, Standing on the western side, And the Elder Ānanda, Standing on the northern side, And worshiped them with perfumes and garlands, Having venerated them with the five prostrations, And likewise asked their names, Going to the northeast corner, Having venerated and worshiped the Elder Piyadassi Mahāthera, Standing there, And asked his name, He stood nearby. The Elder, increasing auspiciousness, Preached the Dhamma to the king. At the end of the auspicious ceremony, Among the assembled lay followers, Forty thousand were established in Arahantship. Forty thousand attained the fruit of Sotāpatti, A thousand the fruit of Sakadāgāmi, A thousand the fruit of Anāgāmi, And eighteen thousand monks Attained Arahantship. And fourteen thousand nuns. The Story of the Thūpāramha 21. Then the king, having venerated the Sangha, said, "Venerable sirs, may the Sangha accept my alms, Until the great Cetiya is completed." The monks did not accept, Asking repeatedly, Having obtained the acceptance of the monks for seven days, Having caused pavilions to be made In eighteen places all around the site of the Thūpa, Having seated the Bhikkhu Sangha, having given a great donation for a week, having given oil, honey, molasses and medicine to all, he dismissed the Bhikkhu Sangha, then, having had a proclamation made in the city, he gathered all the bricklayers and carpenters. They were about five hundred. Among them, one, having pleased the king's mind, said to the king, "I am able to build the Great Cetiya." The king asked, "How will you do it?" He said, "Sire, having taken a hundred laborers, I will remove one cartload of earth per day and do the work." The king rejected him, saying, "If that is so, there will be a heap of earth. Grass and trees will grow, and the road will not be passable." Another said, "Having taken a hundred men, I will remove one clump of earth per day and do the work." Another said, "I will remove five measures of earth and do the work." Another said, "I will remove two measures of earth and do the work." The king rejected them too. Then another clever bricklayer said, "Sire, having pounded the earth in a mortar, having sifted it with winnowing baskets, having trodden it down, having removed one measure of earth in one day, and having taken a hundred laborers, I will do the work." The king, approving, said, "If that is so, grass etc. will not grow on the Great Cetiya, and it will be long-lasting," and asked again, "What shape will you make it?" At that moment, Vissakamma, the divine son, entered the bricklayer's body. The bricklayer, having had a golden bowl filled with water brought, took water in his hand and struck the surface of the water. A large water bubble arose, like an eḷika pot. He said, "O king, I will make it like this." The king, approving, said "Good!" and gave him a pair of cloths worth a thousand, a golden ornament called Puṇṇaka, worth a thousand, sandals worth a thousand, and twelve thousand coins, and had a house and field given in a suitable place. Then, during the night, the king thought, "How indeed can I, without oppressing people, have bricks brought?" A deity spoke to the king. Knowing the mind, at the four gates of the Cetiya, making provision for one day at each, that very night they made a heap of bricks. At dawn, people saw and reported to the king. The king, pleased, set the carpenter to work. In the same way, until the completion of the Great Cetiya, making provision for each day, the deities brought bricks. During the whole day's work, neither clay nor brick dust was visible at the work site. At night, the deities made them disappear. Then the king, for the sake of wages for the workers of the Great Cetiya, at each of the four gates, placed sixteen thousand kahapanas, cloths, ornaments, perfumes, garlands, oil, honey, five kinds of pungent medicines, food mixed with various kinds of curries, rice gruel, hard food, eight kinds of allowable drinks, betel with five kinds of mouth fresheners, and ordered: "Let householders or renunciants, working on the Great Cetiya, take according to their desire. Do not allow those who work without taking wages to do so." Then a certain Elder, desiring to help in the Cetiya work, making himself like clay at the work site, taking a lump of prepared clay in one hand, and a garland in the other, ascended the Great Cetiya compound, deceiving the royal workers, he gave it to the carpenter. As he took it, knowing that it was not natural clay, he looked at the Elder's face. Knowing his intention, there was a great commotion there. Gradually the king, hearing, came and asked the carpenter: "It is said that a certain bhikkhu gave you a lump of clay without wages?" He said thus: "Mostly, venerable sirs, they bring and give flowers in one hand, and a lump of clay in the other, therefore I unknowingly used it in the work. I only know this much: 'This one is a newcomer, this one is a resident.'" "Then show me that Elder," placing a strong old man near the carpenter. When the carpenter returned, he showed the elder to Balattha, who recognized him and informed the king. The king gave him instructions: "You should pile up three jars of jasmine buds in the courtyard of the Great Bodhi Tree, place incense there, and when the elder comes to the courtyard of the Great Bodhi Tree, give him the incense and garlands that the king has provided for his worship, saying so." Balattha, following the king's instructions, gave him the garlands when he went to the Bodhi Tree courtyard. He, filled with joy, washed the stone slab, perfumed it with incense, arranged the stone slab, offered flowers, paid homage in the four places, raised his joined hands at the eastern gate, generated joy, and stood gazing at the flower offering. At that time, Balattha approached the elder, paid homage, and said: "Venerable sir, the king informs you that he has learned the value of the lump of earth given for your assistance in the construction of the shrine, and he pays homage with his own homage." Hearing that, the elder became displeased. Balattha said, "Venerable sir, let the three jars of jasmine buds remain; even golden flowers are not worth this lump of earth. Please calm your mind, venerable sir," and departed. At that time, there was an elder residing at Piyangalla Vihara in Kotthivala country who was a relative of the bricklayer.