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A Manual of Budhism, In Its Modern Development, K. Spence Hardy, 1880 - Complete Book

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They were equally clever ; they sought the same amusement ; what the one did the other did ; and thus they were intimately united- But they thought that there could be no release from birth whilst they pursued their pleasures, and that therefore it behoved them to discontinue their pursuits, and seek nirw&na. The question then arose, as to what place they should go. There was at this time in Bajagaha a famous paribrajika called Sanga. To him they went, and they remained with him some time ; but he was unable to show them the paths. After this they went through all Jambudwipa, asking questions in every place, but no one was able to answer them. In this way they went through the 63,000 kingdoms, and then returned to Bajagaha. It was agreed that if one found a competent teacher, he was to tell the other. The residence of Ootama Budha was now at W^Iuwana. When the priest Assaji had proclaimed vn. LEGENDS OF g6tama budha. 201 through all Jambudwipa that a Badha had appeared, h^ returned to Bajagaha, and the next day went with his bowl to receive alms. In passing fi*om place to place, he was seen by Upatissa, who greatly admired his appearance, and invited him to go and partake of food. Whilst they were together, Upatissa said, " From what I have seen of yonr deportment, I infer that yon are acquainted with the path to nirwana ; tell me, who was yonr teacher ? " When the priest said that it was Budha, he enquired what were his doctrines; but the priest, under the supposi* tion that the paribrajika was opposed to Budha, replied, " I am only a young disciple ; the dharmma is deep ; how, then, can I tell you ?" Then Upatissa informed him that he need not give himself much trouble ; if ho only gave him a little information upon the subject, he could draw from it a hundred or a thousand inferences. The priest, in reply, repeated the following g&td : — T^ dhamma h^tuppabhaw&, Yesan h^tun Tath£gat<$, Aha y6san cha jo ninSdhd, Ewan wadi Maha Samano.* *'A11 things proceed from some cause ; this cause has been declai'ed by the Tathdgata ; all things will cease to exist : this is that which is declared by the Maha Sramana (Budha)." When the first two lines of this stanza were repeated by Assaji, * This stanza, and another that will afterwards be iQtroduced, beginning *' Sabbs p&passa/' has been found on a slab taken from the d&goba at Samath, near Benares, as well as upon the image of Budha found at Tirhut, and upon monuments jet existing m other parts of India. It also appears at the beginning and end of many of the sections of the sacred books written upon the continent. It is thus translated bj Dr. Mill : — ** This is the generative source of the cause of meritorious duties. For the cause of these hath Tathilgata declared. But as to what is the opposing principle of these, that likewise doth the Maha Sramana declare." By Csoma £5r5Bi it is thus rendered from the Tibetan : — '* Whatever moral (or human) actions ariae from some caoae, The cause of them bath been declared by Tath&gata: What is the check to these actions, Is thus set forth by the great Sramanas." After which is inserted the stanza translated, " No yice is to be committed," &c.— Journal As. Soo. No. 39, March, 1835. Mr. Hodgson sajs, that this eonfessio fidei can be repeated by almost eyeij man, woman, and child, of the Buddha faith, at Kathmandu. His translation of the formula, with the help of the commentators, is as follows : — " The cause, or causes, of all sentient existence in the yersatile world, the Tathigata hath explained. The great Sramana hath likewise explained the cause, or causes, of the cessation of all such existence." — lb. No. 40, April, 1835. 202 A MANUAL OF BUDHISM. the paribdLjika embraced tKe doctrine, and entered the path sow4n ; and when the fonrth line was concluded, he said, " I believe in thee ; I beHeve in Badha ; where is he ?" On being informed, he went to Kdlita, and informed him that he had found the path to nirw&na ; and as he repeated the same stanza, his companion also entered sow4n, when he arrived near the end. The two friends then went to inform Sanga of what had occurred, and asked him to accompany them to the residence of Budha ; but he said that it was not possible, as all Jambudwipa was filled with his fame, and he could not become the attendant of another. The 500 disciples of Sanga, however, resolved to accompany them ; but when they saw that he became so sorrowful on this account as to vomit blood, 250 of them returned to him in consequence, and the rest went with the two companions. At the time they approached Budha, he was saying bana, and as he perceived their intention, he declared to those near him that the two individuals who were approaching would become his principal disciples.* After they had reve- rently worshipped him, they asked if they might be permitted to receive the benefit of his teaching. Budha replied by saying, " Come priests ; in order to be released entirely from sorrow, embrace the brahma chariya ordinance ; and I will declare to you the excellent dharmma/' At its conclusion they all received the requisites of the priesthood by the power of irdhi, and had the appearance of persons who had been in the priest- hood a hundred years. Budha then said bana, and the 250 disciples of Sanga became rahats. From this time, K61ita was called Mugalan ; f a^d Upatissa, Serijut. Seven days after this event, Mugalan went to EZallaw&la, in Magadha, where he heard Budha explain the four dh&tus, or elements ; and he at once entered the second, third, and fourth paths, and received the wisdom necessary to an agra-sdLwaka. Fifteen days after, Seriyut heard Budha deliver the WedanA- * AgMav, or agra-sr&waka, from agra, chief, and sr&vaka, a diBciple, literally, one who hears. The dieciplee who reoeiye this office must haye practised the p&ramit^ during one asankja-kap-laksha. GThej are neyer Dom of anj other caste than the royal or the brahman. The two agra-sri- wik&was, or principal female disciples of Gdtama, were Kh^ma and U ppala- wamna. t Csoma E5r5si says, that Eolita, or ** the lap-bom," was also called Mon- galyana, because he was one of the Mongol family or race. VII. LEGENDS OF g6TAMA BUDHA. 203 parigrahana diaoourse, to his nephew, Dighanaka, a paribr&jika, in the cave called HtSrdkala, near Bajagaha, at whioh time he acquired the same privileges as Mngalan. In the following night, all the priests assembled together, and about this assembly* there are four things that are to be remarked. 1. It was held in the night of the full moon. 2. AU the priests assembled without invitation. 3. All who were present had received ordination by the power of irdhi. 4. They were all rahats. Budha repeated to them the following g^t^ : — Sabba p&passa akaranan ; Knsalassa upasampncUl ; Sa chitta pariyddapanan ; Etan BadhAmi86aaiian.t " This is the advice of the Budhas ; avoid all demerit ; obtain all merit ; cleanse the mind from all evil desire." ' This con- stitutes the discourse called Prdtimdksha. In the time of Anomadassi Budha, one hxmdred thousand asankya-kalpas previous to the present age, one of the agra-srdwakas was an ascetic, and the other was his friend. They both gave great gifts to Anomadassi, and wished that they might become the principal disciples of a Budha. From that time they were always bom together, either in the d6wal6kas or the world of men, like the two wheels of a chariot, and in their various births were associated with Bddhisat, to whom they rendered assistance. | At this time G6tama Budha had received, in different ways, 250,344 offerings. 11. Bvdha vuits KapilawastUy his native City. During the residence of Budha at W^luwana, his father Sudhddana, who had heard of his attainment of the Budhaship, sent to him a noble, with a thousand attendants, who delivered this message in the king's name : — " It is my wish to see you ; * ThiB was the only conTocation oyer held bj Budha ; 1260 rahats were present, t This staiua is thus translated by Gsoma Kdrdsi : — " No yice is to be committed : ETery virtue roust be perfectly practised : The mind must be brought under entire subjectfon; This is the commandment of Budha/^ t About twenty examples are given ; but it is stated that they were thus bom many thousands of Ikdtis of times. 201 A MANUAL OF BUDHISM. therefore come to me ; others have the benefit of the dharmma ; bnt not your father or your other relatives; it is now seven years since we saw you.