English
Homage to Him, the Blessed One, the Worthy One, the Perfectly Enlightened One. 1. The Story of the Tathāgata's Arrival Having paid homage to the incomparable Buddha, the pure Dhamma, and the unsurpassed Saṅgha, I will declare the exposition of the Chronicle of Relics; The Lord went three times to the delightful island of Laṅkā, Wishing for the welfare of beings and the long duration of the Dispensation. There, "the Lord went three times" means: in the round of saṃsāra without a known beginning, having caused beings to wander and having become a refuge for those who have no refuge, the Lord, the Blessed One, being a refuge, producing worldly and supramundane happiness, showing the path of the Triple Gem of Buddha, Dhamma, and Saṅgha, went three times to the island of Laṅkā. There, in the first arrival, having ascended the Bodhimaṇḍa and sat facing east, before the sun had set, having destroyed the forces of Māra, in the first watch, having recollected the knowledge of previous existences, in the middle watch, having attained the knowledge of the passing away and rebirth of beings, at the end of the last watch, having directed knowledge towards the causal relations, having realized the knowledge of omniscience adorned with the qualities of the ten powers and the four confidences, having spent seven weeks in succession at the Bodhimaṇḍa, in the eighth week, sitting at the foot of the Ajapāla banyan tree, reflecting on the profundity of the Dhamma, inclining towards non-exertion, having become one who preaches the Dhamma at the request of Sahampati Mahābrahmā together with a retinue of ten thousand Brahmās, looking at the world with the Buddha-eye, remembering the great benefit to the group of five monks, having risen from his seat, having gone to the city of Kāsī, making eighteen crores of Brahmās drink the nectar, beginning with Aññākoṇḍañña, having set in motion the Wheel of the Dhamma, on the fifth day of the fortnight, having established all those five monks in arahantship, on that very day, having given the fruit of stream-entry to the householder Yasa in the night, on the following day, having given arahantship, having led his fifty-four companions to arahantship, thus, when sixty-one arahants had arisen in the world, having spent the rains and performed the pavāraṇā, having sent the monks in the directions, saying "Go forth, monks, on tour," he himself went to Uru Going, on the way, in the grove of cotton trees, Having tamed thirty Bhaddavaggiya youths, Having ordained them with the "Come, bhikkhu" ordination, Going to Uruvela, showing half a thousand miracles, Taming the three Jaṭila brothers, Uruvela Kassapa and his thousand Jaṭila followers, There he dwelt. Later, the residents of Aṅga and Magadha Prepared a great sacrifice for Uruvela Kassapa. He, overcome by selfish desires, thought: "If this great ascetic performs a miracle in the midst of this gathering, My gain and honor will diminish." Knowing his intention, Early in the morning, having brought alms from Uttarakuru, Having eaten the meal at Anotatta, In the evening, on the full-moon Uposatha day of Phussa, For the sake of the island of Laṅkā, he approached the island of Laṅkā. On the southern side of the Mahāgaṅgā river of that island, In the Mahānāga pleasure garden, three yojanas long and one yojana wide, In the midst of the yaksha assembly, Above the place of the foundation of the Mahiyangana Thūpa, Standing in the sky, he showed rain, wind, and darkness, Causing fear in them. Tormented by fear, looking here and there, "Whose deed is this?" they saw the Blessed One sitting in the sky. Having seen the Blessed One, they sought refuge. The Blessed One said to them: "If you desire safety, give me space to sit." All of them gave him space to sit. Having taken the space to sit, having dispelled their fear, Having spread out a piece of leather on the ground given by them, he sat down. Having sat down, the Blessed One expanded the piece of leather. Those yakshas, terrified and trembling, unable to go elsewhere, Gathered like a heap on the shore all around. The Teacher, by his power, brought Giridīpa and showed it. Having established them there, he placed it back in its original place, And contracted the spread-out piece of leather. At that moment, gods gathered from here and there. In their assembly, he preached the Dhamma. For countless beings, a realization of the Dhamma arose. Immeasurable numbers were established in the refuges and precepts. But on Sumanakūṭa, the great Sumanadeva, attaining the fruit of stream-entry, requested the Blessed One, his object of veneration. The Blessed One, being asked by him, touched his head with his hand, took a hair relic, and gave it to him. Having given it, he circumambulated the island of Lanka three times, performed protective rites, and established safeguards, then returned to Uruvelā. He, taking the hair relic in a golden casket, established a stupa adorned with various jewels at the place where the Teacher had sat, and covering it with a finial of sapphire, dwelt there, honoring it with perfumes and garlands. When the Blessed One had attained Parinibbāna, a disciple of Sāriputta, named Sarabhū Thera, a perfected one, by his psychic power, took the Tathāgata's collarbone from the pyre, and enshrining it in that sapphire stupa, had a twelve-cubit stupa built of cloud-colored stone, and departed. Then, Prince Cūḷābhaya, the brother of King Devānampiyatissa, seeing that wondrous shrine, greatly pleased, covering it, established a thirty-cubit stupa. Again, King Duṭṭhagāmaṇī Abhaya, covering it, had an eighty-cubit mantle stupa built. The account of the establishment of the Mahiyangana Stupa should be understood in such detail. Having attained enlightenment, the Buddha, the best of men, sat at the foot of the Bodhi tree, and for seven days, performed miracles. Then, standing to the northeast of the pallaṅka, the Victor, with unblinking eyes, gazed upon it for seven days. Having walked for seven days in the jeweled cloister, the Victor, having discerned the excellent Dhamma, was in the jewel house. For seven days at the Ajapāla banyan tree, he experienced concentration, and in the delightful Mucalinda, the supreme bliss of liberation. At the foot of the Rājāyatana tree, he dwelt for seven nights and days. Then Sakka gave the Teacher a toothpick and water. Four stone bowls, brought together by the four world guardians, making one. The leader by determination. Then, merchants offered him honey cakes and barley gruel. There, the Victor accepted them and took his meal. Tapussa and Bhallika, both took refuge in him. They took refuge in him, and the Teacher gave them hair relics. Going to their own country, they built a delightful stupa. The two brother laymen worshipped and honored it. Thus, the leader spent seven weeks? Requested by Brahmā, the Teacher set the Dhamma wheel in motion. Then, going to Bārāṇasī, he set the Dhamma wheel in motion. Koṇḍañña attained the fruit of stream-entry in the Dhamma preached. Eighteen crores of Brahmās and countless deities Attained the fruit of stream-entry when the Dhamma wheel was set in motion. On the first day, Vappa attained the fruit, Bhaddiya on the second, Mahānāma on the third, and Assaji on the fourth. Gathering all five of the group of five together, He taught the Anattalakkhaṇa Sutta, and they reached the highest fruit of enlightenment. After leading Yasa Thera and others to enlightenment in five days, Then, on the road, thirty young men of the Bhaddavaggiya clan. Then, going to Uruvelā, known as Uruvelā, With Uruvela's permission, he tamed the Uruvela Nāga. Taming that Nāga, the Victor tamed Ura and others by taming, Seeing that miracle, they invited the Tathāgata. "Here in this grove, let the Great Sage dwell, We will all attend to you with regular meals." When the great sacrifice of Uruvela Kassapa was at hand, Knowing his own coming, he understood the intention. Taking alms from Uttarakuru, the best of bipeds, He ate at Anotatta Lake, then rested in the evening. In the ninth month after enlightenment, on the Phussa full moon, the Victor, To purify the island of Laṅkā, went to the island of Laṅkā. Having tamed the Yakkhas, the leader gave relics, Going to Uruvelā, the Victor dwelt there in the forest. The story of the first visit is complete. In the second visit, in the fifth year after enlightenment, while dwelling at Jetavana Monastery, the jewel throne of the Nāgas, maternal uncles and nephews, Cūḷodara and Mahodara... Seeing a battle arrayed, He himself, taking bowl and robe, On the Uposatha day, in the dark fortnight of Citta, Going to Nāgadīpa, Sat in the sky in the midst of their battle, And made darkness. They, overcome by darkness, Having reassured them, showing light, For the sake of the unity of those who had taken refuge in him, Like shaking a tree laden with fruit, he preached the Dhamma. They both, pleased with the Dhamma, Gave that very seat to the Tathāgata. The Blessed One, sitting on the seat, Satisfied with divine food and drink, Having given thanks for the meal, Established eighty crores of Nāgas in the refuges and precepts. In that assembly, Mahodara's maternal uncle, A Nāga king named Maṇiakkhika, Requested the Blessed One to come again to the land of blessing. The Blessed One, however, assenting by silence, Went to Jetavana. Thus indeed he went to Nāgadīpa, The all-knowing, conqueror of Māra, the wise one; Having tamed the Nāgas, full of compassion, The lord of sages, having gone, dwelt in Jetavana. The account of the second visit is ended. In the third visit, in the eighth year from enlightenment, While dwelling in the Jetavana Monastery, the Blessed One thought: "After my Parinibbāna, The Teaching will be established in Tambapaṇṇidīpa, That island will be served by many monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen, A blaze of saffron robes it will be, Of my four tooth relics, one tooth,