English
Then the Brahmin Doṇa, hearing this dispute, [thought,] "These kings are quarreling at the place where the Blessed One attained final Nibbāna. Surely, this is not fitting. I will quell this quarrel." Standing in a high place, he spoke the "Doṇa's Roar," which was two recitations in length. In the first recitation, they did not understand even a single word. At the end of the second recitation, they all became silent, [thinking,] "It is like the voice of the teacher, it is like the voice of the teacher." It is said that throughout the entire Jambu-continent, there was generally no one who was not his student, born in a noble family. Then, knowing that they had become silent after hearing his words, he spoke again: "Listen, good sirs, to my one statement: Our Buddha was patient, For it is not fitting that for such an excellent person There should be a blow in the breaking of the body. All of you, good sirs, united and in harmony, Rejoicing, let us make eight portions, May the stupas be widespread in all directions." Many people are devoted to the Seeing One. The meaning here is, "Our Buddha was patient." Even before attaining Buddhahood, while fulfilling the perfections, as the Khantivada ascetic, as Prince Dhammapala, during the Chaddanta elephant life, during the Bhuridatta Naga king life, during the Campeyya Naga king life, during the Sankhapala Naga king life, during the Mahakapi life, and in many other Jatakas, he did not become angry with others, but only practiced patience. He only praised patience. How much more so now, having attained such a state in pleasant and unpleasant circumstances, our Buddha was always patient. For such an excellent person, it is not fitting that there be any striking at the breaking of his body. "Na hi sadhayanti" means this is not good, "sarirabhangeti" means for the sake of breaking the body, for the sake of the element-sections. "Siyā sampahāro" means it is said that it is not good that there be a striking with weapons. "Sabbeva bhonto sahitā" means may all of you be united, do not be divided. "Samaggā" means be united in body and speech, in one assembly, with one voice. "Sammodamānā" means be rejoicing in each other's minds. "Karomaṭṭhabhāge" means let us divide the body of the Blessed One into eight parts. "Cakkhumato" means the Buddha, who has the five eyes, is the Seeing One. Not only you, but many people are devoted. There is not even one among them who is unworthy to receive a share. Having spoken many reasons, he persuaded them. Then all the kings said thus: "Then, Brahmin, you yourself divide the body of the Blessed One equally into eight parts." "So be it," said Dona the Brahmin, and having promised those kings, he divided the relics equally and well. Here is the sequence: Dona, having promised them, had a golden vessel opened. The kings came and, seeing the relics of golden color in the vessel, said, "The Blessed One, the All-Knowing One, we formerly saw your body adorned with the thirty-two marks, shining with the six-colored Buddha rays, of golden color. Now "Now only the golden-hued relics remain," they lamented, "This is not fitting for you, O Blessed One!" The Brahmin, knowing their negligence at that time, took the right canine tooth and placed it within the wrapping cloth, then later, equally and well, he divided them. All the relics amounted to sixteen measures in the natural reed tube. Each city dweller received two measures each. While the Brahmin was dividing the relics, Sakka, lord of the gods, looking to see who had taken the Blessed One's right canine tooth, which was the cause for dispelling the doubts of the world with its gods through the discourse on the Four Noble Truths, saw that the Brahmin had taken it. Thinking, "The Brahmin will not be able to make a fitting offering to the tooth, I will take it," he took it from within the wrapping cloth, placed it in a golden casket, carried it to the world of the gods, and enshrined it in the Cūḷāmaṇī Cetiya. The Brahmin, having divided the relics and not seeing the tooth, could not even ask, "Who has taken my share?" "Surely you have divided the relics, did you not know of the existence of your own relic from the beginning?" Seeing the accusation of fault in himself, he could not even say, "Give me my portion too." Then this golden pot too followed the path of the relics, by which the relics of the Thus-Gone One were measured. Thinking, "I will build a stupa for this," he said, "Sirs, give me this pot." Then the kings gave the pot to the Brahmin. The Moriyas of Pipphalivana too, having heard of the Blessed One's passing away, "The Blessed One was a noble, we too are nobles, we deserve to receive a share of the Blessed One's relics," having sent a messenger, and having gone out prepared for war, arrived. The kings said to them, "There is no share of the Blessed One's relics, the Blessed One's relics have been divided. Take the embers from here." They took the embers from there. Then King Ajātasattu leveled a road twenty-five yojanas long between Kusinārā and Rājagaha, eight usabhas in width. Having brought a fitting offering, the Malla kings, within the assembly hall of the Crown-Binding Ceremony, made such a grand offering. For twenty-five yojanas along the road, they had offerings made, and to ease the people's sorrow, they spread [the news] in every market street. The relics placed in a golden urn, protected by a cage of spears, they summoned the people in their own victorious realm, a circle of five hundred yojanas. Taking those relics, they departed from Kusinara, playing relic-games. Wherever they saw colorful flowers, they placed the relics within the cage of spears, and departed when those flowers had withered. When the axle of the chariot reached its western position, they played happily for seven days. Thus, as they came carrying the relics, seven years, seven months, and seven days passed. "From the time of the ascetic Gotama's passing, we have been oppressed by forced, joyful games, all our work is ruined!" they lamented, polluting their minds. Eighty-six thousand beings were reborn in the lower realms. The arahants, reflecting, saw that "The great multitude, polluting their minds, are reborn in the lower realms." They went to Sakka, king of the gods, thinking, "We will devise a way to bring the relics," and, declaring the matter, said, "O Great King, devise a way to bring the relics!" Sakka said, "The common person is like Ajatasattu, lacking faith. He will not heed my words. However, I will show a terror like Mara's, I will make a frightful, seizing, hurling, announcing [specter]. You should say, 'O Great King, the non-humans are angered, bring forth the relics!' Thus he will bring them forth." Then Sakka did all that. The elders also approached the king and said, "O Great King, the non-humans are angered, bring forth the relics!" The king said, "Not yet, venerable sirs, is my heart satisfied. Even so, let them be brought forth!" On the seventh day, they brought forth the relics. Having thus brought the relics, taking them... King Ajātaśatru made a stupa in Rājagaha, and other kings, according to their power, having taken away (relics), made stupas in their respective places. Doṇa the Brahmin, the Moriyas of Pipphalīvana, also made stupas in their respective places. One stupa in Rājagaha - one in the city of Vesālī, One in Kapilavatthu - one in Allakappa; One stupa in Rāmagāma - one in Veṭhadīpaka, One in Pāveyyaka of the Mallas - one in Kusināra; Those stupas with bodily relics - established in Jambudīpa; With the stupa of the charcoal pot - they become ten stupas; These ten stupas of the Best of Men - Worshipped by kings according to their rank, By the whole world, together with the gods - They are worthy of reverence and are givers of all; The Story of the Ten Stupas 10. However, when the stupas were thus established, Mahākassapa Thera, seeing danger to the relics, approached Ajātasattu and said, "Great King, it is fitting to make a deposit of the relics." "Good, Venerable Sir, let the work of the deposit be mine, but how shall we bring the relics?" "Great King, the bringing of the relics is not your burden, it is our burden." "Good, Venerable Sir, you bring the relics. I will make the deposit of the relics." The Thera, leaving only the attendants of those royal families, brought the remaining relics. However, the Nāgas took the relics in Rāmagāma; there is no danger to them; in the future, they will be deposited in the Mahācetiya in the Mahāvihāra in the island of Laṅkā. He did not bring those. Having brought (relics) from the remaining seven cities, having placed (them) in the eastern-southern direction of Rājagaha, he determined, "May this stone that is in this place disappear, may the soil be very pure, and may water not arise." The king, having had that place dug up, having made bricks with the soil removed from there, had stupas made for the eighty great disciples. Even to those who asked, "What is the king having made here?" they say, "The cetiyas of the great disciples." No one knows the fact of the relic deposit. In that place, eighty cubits deep, there arose... Having a layer of coins spread, there in the Thūpārāma, he had a house made of copper, the size of a shrine. And he had eight each of reliquaries and stupas made of sandalwood and so on. Then, having placed the relics of the Blessed One in a sandalwood reliquary, that sandalwood reliquary in another sandalwood reliquary, and that in another, thus making eight sandalwood reliquaries into one, in the same way, eight reliquaries in eight sandalwood stupas, eight sandalwood stupas in eight red sandalwood reliquaries, eight red sandalwood reliquaries in eight red sandalwood stupas, eight red sandalwood stupas in eight ivory reliquaries, eight ivory reliquaries in eight ivory stupas, eight ivory stupas in eight jeweled reliquaries, eight jeweled reliquaries in eight jeweled stupas,