English
Free from taints, devoid of lust, With peaceful minds, composed, Kolita and Upatissa, Will be the foremost disciples. Ananda by name, the attendant, Will attend upon this Victor. Khema and Uppalavanna, Will be the foremost female disciples. Free from taints, devoid of lust, With peaceful minds, composed. The Bodhi t is called the Bodhi tree of that Blessed One." The Story of the Aspiration 6. Then Dīpaṅkara, the Ten-Powered One, praised the Bodhisatta, honored him with eight handfuls of flowers, circumambulated him, and departed. Those four hundred thousand arahants also honored the Bodhisatta with flowers and scents, circumambulated him, and departed. Gods and humans likewise honored and venerated him. Then the Bodhisatta, hearing the prediction of the Ten-Powered One, feeling the Buddha-state as if in his palm, with a delighted heart, after everyone had left, arose from the bed, sat cross-legged on the pile of flowers, contemplating the qualities that make a Buddha, "Where indeed are the qualities that make a Buddha? What is above, below, in the intermediate directions?" Searching the entire realm of Dhamma in sequence, seeing first the perfection of generosity, practiced and cultivated by ancient Bodhisattas, making a firm resolution there, and thus in sequence, seeing the perfections of morality, renunciation, wisdom, energy, patience, truthfulness, determination, loving-kindness, and equanimity, making a firm resolution there, praised by the deities, rising into the sky, he went to the Himalayas. Dīpaṅkara, the Teacher, surrounded by four hundred thousand arahants, being honored by the residents of Rammanagara, being rejoiced over by the deities, entered Rammanagara by a decorated and prepared path, and sat on the excellent Buddha-seat that had been arranged. The Saṅgha of monks also sat on their respective seats. The lay followers of Rammanagara also, after giving a great offering to the Saṅgha of monks with the Buddha at its head, after the Blessed One had finished eating, with his bowl removed from his hand, honoring him with garlands, scents, and so on, sat down, wishing to hear the thanksgiving for the offering. The Blessed One also, giving them thanksgiving, spoke of generosity, morality, heaven, the danger, worthlessness, and defilement of sensual pleasures, and the benefit of renunciation, and taught the Dhamma ending in the Deathless. Having thus taught the Dhamma to that great multitude, some were established in the refuges. So some he established in the five precepts, some in the fruit of stream-entry, some in the fruit of once-returning, some in the fruit of non-returning, some in all four fruits, some in the three knowledges, some in the six super-knowledges, some in the eight attainments, and rising from his seat, he left Rammanagara and entered Sudassana Mahavihara. Thus it was said: "Then, having fed the world-leader together with the Sangha, a refuge devoid of Uphaga, of that Teacher, Dīpaṅkara, in the taking of refuge, some the Tathāgata established. Some in the five precepts, and others in the ten excellent precepts; to some he gave the state of a recluse, the four supreme fruits; to some, in undefiled teachings, he gave analytical knowledge; to some, the best attainments, the eight, the best of men gave; to some, the three knowledges, the six super-knowledges he bestowed; by that method the Great Sage instructed the multitude of people, by that means the dispensation of the world-leader was spread abroad; with jaws like a great bull, named Dīpaṅkara, he ferries many people across, and releases them from bad destinies; seeing a person capable of enlightenment, even at a hundred thousand yojanas, in a moment going there, the Great Sage enlightens him." Thus, that Teacher, Dīpaṅkara, having lived for a hundred thousand years, freeing beings from bondage, having completed all the Buddha's duties, in Nandārāma, without remainder, in the element of Nibbana, he passed away. The relics of that Teacher were scattered. Remaining, they became a solid mass, like a golden image. All the inhabitants of Jambudīpa, with nuggets of gold worth a koṭi, built a great stupa of thirty-six yojanas, some say. Therefore it was said: "Dīpaṅkara, the Victor, the Teacher, passed away in Nandārāma, there the stupa of that Victor is thirty-six yojanas high." "The bowl, robe, and requisites, the belongings of the Teacher, at the Bodhi-tree, a stupa three yojanas high arose." 7. Furthermore, after Dīpaṅkara, the Blessed One, one asaṅkheyya had passed, Koṇ Koṇḍañña named the teacher arose. Then the Bodhisatta, becoming a wheel-turning king named Vijitāvi, gave a great donation to a Saṅgha of monks, with the Buddha at its head, numbering one hundred thousand crores. The teacher, predicting that the Bodhisatta would become a Buddha, preached the Dhamma. Having heard the teacher's Dhamma talk, he renounced his kingdom and went forth. Having learned the three Piṭakas, and having developed the eight attainments and the five superknowledges, unwavering in his meditation, he was reborn in the Brahma world. That Buddha too, having lived for one hundred thousand years, having completed all the Buddha's duties, passed away at Caṇdārāma. Even of that Blessed One, the relics did not scatter. All the inhabitants of Jambudīpa, gathering together, having made a seven-yojana-high, seven-jeweled, haritāla and manosilā clay model, having done the oil and ghee water work, completed the shrine. It is said that Koṇḍañña, the fully enlightened one, passed away in delightful Caṇdārāma; a seven-yojana-high shrine was made for him. After that, having passed one asaṅkhyeya, in one kappa alone, four Buddhas arose: Maṅgala, Sumana, Revata, and Yohita. In the time of the Blessed Maṅgala, the Bodhisatta, becoming a Brahmin named Suruci, approached the teacher, thinking, "I will invite him," and having heard sweet Dhamma talk, invited him for the next day, and gave a donation called gavapāna for seven days to a Saṅgha with the Buddha at its head, numbering one hundred thousand crores. The teacher, giving thanks, addressed the great man, "At the head of two asaṅkhyeyas and one hundred thousand kappas, you will become a Buddha named Gotama." The great man, having heard the prediction, thinking, "I will become a Buddha, what is the use of household life to me? I will go forth," having abandoned such wealth as if it were a ball of ash, went forth in the presence of the teacher, having learned the Buddha's word, and having developed the superknowledges and attainments, at the end of his life, was reborn in the Brahma world. Even when that Buddha passed away, the relics did not scatter. The inhabitants of Jambudīpa, as before, made a stupa thirty yojanas high. Therefore it was said, "In the garden, named Vasabha - the auspicious Buddha passed away, there his stupa of the Victor - rose thirty yojanas high." After him, a teacher named Sumana arose. Then, the great being was born as the nāga king Atula - mighty and powerful. Hearing that a Buddha had arisen, surrounded by a host of relatives, he emerged from the nāga abode, and having divine music played as an offering to that Blessed One, with a retinue of a hundred thousand million monks, he established a great almsgiving, gave pairs of cloths to each, and took refuge. That teacher also predicted that he would become a Buddha in the future. When that Buddha also passed away, the relics did not scatter. The inhabitants of Jambudīpa, as before, made a stupa four yojanas high. Therefore it was said, "Sumana, the glorious - Buddha passed away in Aggārāma, There his stupa of the Victor - rose four yojanas high"; After him, a teacher named Revata arose. Then, the Bodhisatta was born as a brahmin named Atideva. Having heard the teacher's Dhamma teaching, taking refuge, raising his joined hands to his head, he praised the teacher's destruction of defilements and made an offering with his upper robe. That teacher also predicted that he would become a Buddha. When that Buddha passed away, the relics scattered. Therefore it was said, "Revata, the excellent Buddha - passed away in Mahāpura, The relics were scattered - in those various places"; After him, a teacher named Sobhita arose. Then, the Bodhisatta was born as a brahmin named Ajita. Having heard the teacher's Dhamma teaching, taking refuge, he gave a great almsgiving to the Saṅgha headed by the Buddha. That teacher also predicted that he would become a Buddha. The relics of that Blessed One also scattered. Therefore it was said, "Sobhita, the excellent Buddha - passed away in Sīharāma, The relics were scattered - in those various places"; After him, a teacher named Anomadassī arose. Having surpassed the proper time, in one kappa alone, three Buddhas arose - Anomadassi, Paduma, and Narada. In the time of the Blessed Anomadassi, the Bodhisatta was one 1. Yasavara, wise - some say. He was a powerful Yakkha general, of great might and influence, the overlord of hundreds of thousands of millions of Yakkhas. Having heard that a Buddha had arisen, he came and gave a great offering to the Sangha headed by the Buddha, and the Teacher predicted that he would become a Buddha in the future. When the Blessed Anomadassi passed away, his relics did not scatter; the inhabitants of Jambudipa built a stupa twenty-five yojanas high. Therefore it was said: "Anomadassi, the conquering Teacher - passed away in Dhammarama, There indeed is his stupa - twenty-five in height"; After him, Paduma by name, the Teacher arose.