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When Ajdsat had left the wihira, Budha said to the priests, '^ Had not the king murdered his &ther, he might this day have entered the path s6wan ; even now, as he has taken refuge in the three gems, he will be saved from the hell Awichi, where other- wise he must have remained a whole kalpa ; but v he will have to go to the L<51iakumbha-16ka, where he will remain 60,000 years, the half of this time in going from top to bottom, and the other half in returning from bottom to top. After this he will enjoy the happiness of the d6wa-16kas during a kap-laksha, and at last become the Pas6 Budha Wijitawisdsa.*' Though the king had not been able to sleep from the time he murdered his father, this affliction now passed away. After this event he greatly assisted the three gems, and among all who have failed in obtaining an entrance into the paths, there has been no one equal to Ajdsat. {Amdwatura). 45. The Destruction of DSwadaUa, As it was through the persuasion of D6wadatta that Aj^at was induced to murder his father, the nobles, who now saw the soperiority of Budha, recommend their monarch to discontinue his intercourse with so wicked a priest ; and the king, agreeably to their wishes, gave orders that no more food should be sent to his wihdra. The supplies being thus cut off, his 500 disciples left him, and he was in indigence. Then he went to the city to receiye alms ; but the people indignantly drove him away, and broke his bowl. So he resolved to make a division among the priesthood of Budha, as a last resource, and succeeded in persuading Kdkdlika, Katamdratissa, Khandad6waputra, and Samuddadattaya to espouse his cause. Accompanied by these four priests, Ddwadatta went to Budha and said to him, *' I have hitherto been refused that which I asked at your hands, but this is not right, as I am the nephew of Sudhddana ; I have now z 338 A MANUAL OF BUDmSM. five more requests that I wish to make." Though Budha knew the thoughts of all heingp, he asked, smiling, what thej were. D6wadatta replied, " I request that in future the priests be for- bidden to reside in wihtebs that are near villages and towns, and be required to retire to the forest, according to the ordinance dranyakanga." But Budha said, '* No such ordinance as this was made by the former Budhas (as binding upon all). It would be like putting at once an axe to the root of the kalpa-tree of the dharmma, which is to remain many years. Eor this reason. Among those ordained, there are many persons of the royal, brahman, and merchant castes, who were previously nnaocns- tomed to descend even from the upper story of their mansions to the lower ; there are also young children, and aged people ; how can these dwell alone in the wilderness ? Princes and others resort to the priests to hear bana and gain merit ; but they would object to go to the forest. It would be like cutting off the stream that irrigates the rice-field, were the ordinances to be enjoined that you propose. Females, the young, and the weak, could not observe it ; and therefore the liberty to observe it is given only to such as have the power. They who keep the precepts, whether they live in a village, or in a hole, or npon a rock, or in a cave, are equally my children. What is your next request P" D6wadaita : '* I wish that a command be issued, requiring the priests to eat only such food as they receive when going with the alms-bowl, according to the ordinance pindapd- tildLnga, and forbidding them to eat what is brought by the people to the pansals." Budha : " This cannot be ; how can the aged, or the sick, or children, take the alms-bowl to seek food ? Who shall receive the food appointed to the priests who are strangers?" Then Dewadatta requested Budha to forbid the priests to make a robe of anything besides what was taken from a cemetery according to the ordinance p^Lnsikdlakanga. But the teacher replied that there were many priests from the higher castes who had not even seen a dead body, and they would consequently be afraid to go near a cemetery : it would make them sick ; and if the faithful were not allowed to give robes, how were they to acquire merit ?'* Dewadatta : ** Then require all the priests to observe the ordinance werkshamtilakanga, and make them live at the root of a tree ; never suffering them to enter a house covered with straw or protected by a roof.'' VII. LEGENDS OF GMStAMA BUDHA. ' 339 Bndha : ** Were this ordinance to be enforced upon all, what ooald children do, and those priests who are weak, in the rainy season ? And how are those to acqnire merit who make residen- cies for the priests P** All the requests thns made by D6wadatta were refused, and he proceeded to the last proposition it was his intention to recommend. " It will be well," said he, ** to issue an order that no priest be permitted to eat flesh of any kind ; there are others who observe this ordinance ; and as there are many persons who think it is wrong to eat flesh, the non-observ- ance of this ordinance by the priests causes the dharmma to be spoken against." But Budha again replied, *' I cannot consent to the establishment of such an ordinance. The Budhas are not like the blind, who require to be led by another ; they do not learn from others, or follow the example of others. The faithful give to the priests flesh, medicines, seats, and other things, and thereby acquire merit. Those who take life are in fault, but not the persons who eat the flesh ; my priests have permission to eat whatever food it is customary to eat in any place or country, so that it be done without the indulgence of the appetite, or evil desire. There are some who become rahats at the foot of a tree, and others in pansals ; some when they are clothed in what they have taken from a cemetery, and others when clothed with what they have received from the people ; some when abstaining from flesh, and others when eating it. If one uniform law were enforced, it would be a hindrance in the way of those who are seeking nirwdna ; but it is to reveal this way that the office of the Budhas is assumed." The requests made by D^wadatta being all refused, he retired to his own wihdra at the head of the river Gaya, with his four companions, and was soon joined by other dissatisfied priests, so that the number of his disciples again amounted to 500. When Budha saw that the time to reclaim the 500 priests had arrived, he commanded Seriyut and Mugalan to visit their wihara, and exert their influence for this purpose. On the arrival of the agra-srdwakas, D^wadatta was in the midst of his priests saying bana in imitation of Budha, and, when he saw them, he gladly gave them permission to enter, as he supposed they had come to join his party ; but K6k£lika said that it would be better to require them to keep at a distance, as it was most probable they had come to do him some injury. The one was placed on the z2 340 A MANUAL OF BUDHISM. right hand of Dewadatta and the otber on his left, and K6ka- lika occupied the place of Anyakondauya, according to the arraDgement T^hen bana was said by Bndha. After be had proceeded a little time, Seriynt said that he must be fatigned, and began to say bana in his stead, but in such a manner, that all the priests became rabats, with the exception of D6wadatta, who had fallen asleep. When he awoke, and found that all the priests were gone, he regretted that he had not followed the advice of K6kalika ; and was so affected by this event, that he continued ill for the space of nine months. After this period he resolved to go to Budha, and entreat his forgiveness; and though his disciples tried to persuade him not to go, as they said that Budha would not see him, they were unable to induce him to alter bis intention, as ho knew that the great teacher felt no enmity towards him; and when they saw that he was determined, they took him in a litter, and conveyed him to the , J6tdwana wihdra. The priests informed Budha of his approach, but he said, *^ Priests, Dewadatta will not see Budha." They then said, he is at such a distance, now nearer, he is entering the court-yard ; but the sage still declared that he would not see Budha. *' His crimes are so great,*' said he, " that ten, or a hundred, or even a thousand Budhas would be unable to assist him ; you will quickly see what will befall him.