根本說一切有部毘奈耶雜事

Fascicle Twenty

General uddana of the sixth section:

The sinews of fierce beasts are not permitted,

Luminous Lamp and the valiant,

Dasa and the rules for ordaining nuns,

The reason permission was given to Gautama,

A nun must not precede an elder,

Other bedding may be given,

It is improper to pour away water containing insects,

Thus the sixth general section should be known.

First individual uddana of the sixth section:

Fierce beasts, sinews, hides, and mats,

Covered in front or covered behind,

Two horns and pointed toes:

None of these kinds of footwear is permitted.

– The occasion was in the city of Sravasti. The Buddha said that bhiksus should not use the hides of five kinds of fierce beasts possessing claws, tusks, or fangs: intelligent elephants, intelligent horses, lions, tigers, and leopards.

The Group of Six used the sinews of these animals and incurred the same fault as before. The Buddha said:

– You should not use those sinews to sew footwear.

The Group of Six then used leather caps and incurred the same fault as before. They also used leather to repair sandals. The Buddha said:

– None of these should be used. Thus it should be known that footwear covered in front or behind, footwear with two horns or pointed toes, thorn shoes, and boots must not be worn. Whoever wears them commits an offense of transgressing the Dharma, except in the case of sandals made of two or three layers of leather. (People of the Western Countries do not wear such things; however, in other lands where it is cold, they may be used with the intention of preserving life.)

Internal uddana:

At the births of the four great kings,

Light shone universally everywhere;

Because of this event, their parents

Each established an appropriate name.

– At that time, the bodhisattva, Protector of Light, was dwelling in the Tusita celestial palace.

In the city of Rajagrha was a king named Great Lotus, who governed the realm according to the Dharma. The people were numerous and prosperous, peaceful, wealthy, and happy, and there were no thieves or bandits.

In the city of Sravasti, the king was called Brahmadatta.

In the city of Ujjayini, the king was called Great Wheel.

In the city of Kausambi, the king was named Hundred Armies.

These four kings were all Dharma kings who governed the world according to the Dharma, as explained extensively elsewhere. From the celestial palace, the bodhisattva examined the world in five respects.

They were:

1. Examining the ancestral lineage.

2. Examining the proper time.

3. Examining the country.

4. Examining the immediate clan.

5. Examining the mother.

After the devas of the six heavens of the Desire Realm had purified the mother's womb three times, Queen Maya dreamed that a white elephant with six tusks descended and entered her womb. At that moment, the earth quaked in six ways, and a great light spread throughout all worlds, surpassing even the radiance of the devas. Dark places in the worlds that the sun and moon could not reach were brilliantly illuminated, and the beings dwelling there could see one another. The account of the bodhisattva's birth will be given below.

Each king of the four great kingdoms also had a prince born to him. Seeing light like the color of molten pure gold, each king said that because the birth of his powerful and majestic son had caused heaven and earth to shine with extraordinary brilliance, his son should be named in accordance with this auspicious sign.

King Great Lotus told those around him:

– When my son was born, heaven and earth became wondrously bright and beautiful, like the reflection of the sun. Therefore, let my son be named Victorious Reflection—in Sanskrit, Bimbisara.

King Brahmadatta told those around him:

– When my son was born, brilliant light illuminated the whole world. Therefore, let him be named Victorious Light.

King Great Wheel told those around him:

– When my son was born, he was like a great lamp illuminating every place. Therefore, let him be named Luminous Lamp.

King Hundred Armies told those around him:

– When my son was born, it was like the rising sun spreading its light everywhere. Therefore, let him be named Emanating Light.

They all attributed this power to their own sons, not knowing that it came from the majestic power of the bodhisattva.

Internal uddana:

While in the womb, devas guarded him;

At birth, he stepped upon lotus flowers;

Raising his hands, he alone proclaimed himself honored;

He was bathed, and flowers and garments descended.

After the bodhisattva had descended into his mother's womb, Sakra, Lord of the Devas, commanded four devaputras, each bearing a weapon, to guard his mother and prevent humans and nonhuman beings from harming her. Within the womb, the bodhisattva was not defiled by blood or the impurities of the womb. Just as precious objects gathered in one place do not defile one another, so it was with the bodhisattva in the womb.

It was also like a clear and beautiful beryl placed upon five colors, which a keen-sighted person can see and distinguish distinctly; in the same way, his mother could look into her womb and see him clearly. Although pregnant, the mother's body was not wearied. She naturally observed the five precepts throughout her life: not killing, not stealing, not engaging in sexual misconduct, not speaking falsely, and not drinking intoxicants; nor did she entertain lustful thoughts toward men.

When the full ten months had passed, the mother went to the Lumbini Grove. Holding a branch of an asoka tree, she paused for a moment and gave birth to the bodhisattva through her right side. At that moment, the earth quaked in six ways and emitted a great light, just as when he entered the womb.

When the bodhisattva was born, Sakra extended his hands to receive him and placed him upon a lotus flower, where he stood without support. After taking seven steps upon seven lotus flowers, the bodhisattva gazed throughout the four directions, pointed one hand upward and the other downward, and proclaimed:

– This is indeed my final body. Above heaven and beneath heaven, I alone am the Honored One.

Brahma held a parasol, and Sakra held a fly whisk. In midair, naga kings spouted one stream of warm water and one stream of cool water to bathe the bodhisattva. As soon as he was born, a fragrant spring appeared before his mother for her use as she wished. From the sky, the devas scattered blue, red, yellow, and white lotus flowers and other wondrous fragrant powders. Celestial music sounded spontaneously, and beautiful heavenly silken garments fell profusely from the sky. There were also many other wondrous auspicious signs, as explained elsewhere.

Internal uddana:

Asita examined the marks;

Naradatta urged his teacher;

Five hundred auspicious signs appeared,

And the father established three names.

At that time, in a great mountain in the south lived an aged seer named Asita, who clearly understood the periods of formation and destruction of the world. A man named Naradatta, intelligent and keen-witted, often visited the seer Asita to discuss the formation and destruction of the world.

Having heard his teaching, Naradatta was deeply moved and went forth under the seer. One day, while staying with the seer in a rocky cave, he saw dazzling rays of light and extraordinary signs. He asked his teacher in verse:

– Why does this radiance,

Shining everywhere like the sun,

Fill the mountains and forests

And appear so wondrously?

The seer replied:

– Were it sunlight, it would blaze with heat;

This light is cool and wondrous indeed.

Surely the unsurpassed honored Muni

Has just left his mother's womb, revealing this auspicious sign.

This is the sign appearing when the bodhisattva is born;

His pure radiance is truly wondrous,

Filling the ten directions with the hue of gold

And brilliantly illuminating the three realms.

Naradatta said to his teacher:

– If that is so, we should go together to visit the bodhisattva.

His teacher said:

– You should know that the bodhisattva possesses great majestic power, and innumerable devas have assembled around him. Even if we went, we could not approach and bow before him. Let us wait until he has entered the city and received his names. Only after making repeated attempts may we hope to see him.

When the bodhisattva was born, Chandaka and five hundred male attendants were born at the same time. Chandrika and five hundred female attendants were likewise born. Five hundred excellent elephants and horses were born in their stables, five hundred hidden treasuries appeared spontaneously, and neighboring kings all presented tokens of allegiance. Seeing this, a minister reported to King Suddhodana:

– Great King! Today the realm flourishes. With the birth of the prince, auspicious signs have appeared: five hundred male attendants and five hundred female attendants have been born; five hundred excellent elephants and horses have each been born; five hundred hidden treasuries have appeared spontaneously; and all the kingdoms have come to court bearing rare and precious gifts.

Hearing this report, the king rejoiced greatly and told the minister:

– With the prince's birth, all things have been accomplished. Therefore, let him be named Accomplisher of All Aims—in Sanskrit, Sarvarthasiddha. This was the bodhisattva's first name: Accomplisher of All Aims.

The bodhisattva then entered the city of Kapilavastu in a carriage adorned with four kinds of jewels, accompanied by immeasurable hundreds of thousands of humans and devas. The Sakyans were proud-minded and naturally talkative, yet when the bodhisattva entered the city, they all fell silent and could say nothing. Seeing this, the king told the minister:

– The Sakyans are always proud and naturally talkative, but when the prince entered the city they all fell silent and could say nothing. Therefore, let the prince be named Sakyamuni, the Silent Sage of the Sakyas. This was the bodhisattva's second naming.

In this city there had long dwelt a yaksa named Sakya-Vardhana, whom everyone revered and for whom they had established a shrine. Whenever a boy or girl was born into the Sakya clan, the child was bathed, carried to the yaksa shrine, and presented in reverence. King Suddhodana filled the prince's mouth with the finest clarified butter and told a minister:

– Carry the prince to pay homage to the yaksa.

When the minister approached carrying the prince, the yaksa manifested his body, came forward, and bowed at the bodhisattva's feet. When the minister returned and reported this, the king considered it extraordinary and said:

– My prince is now the most honored even among celestial spirits. Therefore, let him be named Deva of Devas. This was the third naming of the bodhisattva.

Internal uddana:

Nurses tended the prince;

He was examined for the marks of a great man;

Asita came from afar

And personally beheld the form of the Muni.

The prince's father entrusted him to nurses, who bathed, nursed, fed, and gave him drink at the proper times, always keeping his body and mind peaceful and comfortable. The nurses anointed his body with the finest fragrances, adorned him fully with jeweled ornaments, and presented him to his father. His father joyfully held and gazed upon him, then ordered all the brahmins in the kingdom who understood physiognomy and calculation to assemble and examine the prince. He told them:

– Examine him carefully. I have heard ancient seers say that one endowed with the thirty-two marks of a great man has only two possible destinies. If he remains at home, he will become a wheel-turning monarch, rule the four continents, govern the world according to the Dharma, and possess the seven treasures.

These are the wheel treasure, elephant treasure, horse treasure, jewel treasure, woman treasure, treasurer minister, and general minister. He will have a thousand valiant and loyal sons who overcome hostile enemies. Throughout all the lands within the seas there will be no calamity, and the people will live prosperously, happily, and peacefully. If he goes forth, shaves his hair and beard, and dons the kasaya robe, he will become a perfectly awakened Buddha whose great renown resounds throughout the world.

After hearing the king, the physiognomists examined the prince together and reported:

– It is exactly as Your Majesty has said. Whoever possesses the thirty-two marks can have only two destinies: to become a wheel-turning monarch or to become a Buddha, whose renown will resound throughout the world.

The king asked again:

– What are those marks?

The physiognomists then described each of the thirty-two marks in full. They are recorded completely in the text. (As they do not differ from those in other sutras, Vinaya texts, and treatises, they need not be translated again here.)

At that time, the seer Asita said to Naradatta:

– Manavaka, by my calculation, the bodhisattva has now entered the city and received his three names. We should go and pay homage to him and behold his countenance.

Using their supernormal powers, they traveled through the air. Owing to the bodhisattva's majestic power, when they were about one horse-stage from Kapilavastu, they lost their power of supernatural travel and had to proceed on foot. After entering the city and reaching the palace gate, they said to the gatekeeper:

– Go and inform the king that the seer Asita is outside the gate.

Hearing the messenger's report, the king decreed:

– Let him enter freely. Who would obstruct the great seer?

The seer entered the royal palace. Seeing him arrive, the king called out:

– Welcome, venerable sir. May all be auspicious with you.

After the seer's feet had been washed and he had been invited to sit upon the lion throne, the king bowed at his feet and said:

– Great seer, what matter has brought you here?

The seer spoke in verse:

– Great King, I have come here

Because I wish to see the royal prince,

To behold the honored Muni,

The foremost guide.

The king said:

– The prince is asleep.

He replied:

– Even though he sleeps, I wish to see him briefly.

The king carried the prince out. Seeing that the prince's eyelids were not completely closed, the seer spoke in verse:

– A noble horse does not sleep long,

But rests briefly at midnight;

Since his work is not yet accomplished,

How could he sleep at ease for long?

The seer then asked:

– What did the physiognomists predict?

The king replied:

– Great seer, they said that he would become a wheel-turning monarch ruling the four continents beneath heaven.

The seer answered in verse:

– The physiognomists spoke most wrongly;

In this final age there will be no wheel-turning king.

This being of supreme merit

Will end the defilements and become a Buddha.

Were he to govern the four continents,

The marks of a wheel-turning king would be manifest;

Yet the marks of a Great Teacher are distinct:

He will assuredly become a Buddha.

Having examined him throughout and seen the marks of Buddhahood, the seer contemplated how long it would be before the prince realized the unsurpassed Deathless and turned the wondrous Dharma wheel. He saw that at the age of twenty-nine the prince would leave the royal city and, after six years of ascetic practice, attain perfect awakening. He then examined how much longer he himself would live and whether he would see the Buddha. Knowing that he would not meet the Buddha, the seer became sorrowful, and tears filled his eyes.

Seeing the seer's grief, the king asked in verse:

– Whether man or woman, all who see him

Are filled throughout body and mind with joy.

Now you have seen these extraordinary marks;

Why, then, do tears fall from your eyes?

If the prince's marks are inauspicious,

And he will be short-lived, sickly, or ill-fated,

I beg the great seer to speak the truth;

Do not cause my heart still greater anxiety.

The seer replied in verse:

– Even if thunderbolts fell from the sky,

Terrifyingly close beside the prince,

To the unsurpassed honored Muni

They would be as harmless as a hair.

Even if raging fire blazed before the wind,

And keen swords like frost stood before him,

Or poison and venomous serpents came at once,

On meeting the prince, all would be destroyed.

I grieve because I shall die early and not meet the Buddha;

My eyes overflow with tears I cannot restrain.

Before receiving the unsurpassed Dharma, I shall die,

Having accomplished nothing at all.

This greatly blessed one will dispel suffering,

Realize the Deathless Dharma, and become a guide.

All who hear his teaching and practice according to the Dharma

Will realize quiescence, the realm of nirvana.

Hearing that the prince would realize the Deathless Dharma, the king remained silent and said nothing. Ordinary worldly people are disturbed by perverse thoughts and therefore speak falsely without relying upon truth.

The seer said to the king:

– Every day Your Majesty has thought, “When will the seer Asita enter the city on foot and meet me, so that everyone may honor him attentively?” Out of compassion for the king, I have come here. Now that my purpose is fulfilled and I wish to leave the city, have the streets swept and cleaned.

King Suddhodana ordered his ministers to repair the roads and commanded everyone throughout the city to sweep and beautify the lanes and streets. They sprinkled them with fragrant sandalwood water, scattered campaka flowers, filled the sky with banners and parasols, and perfumed the lanes with incense smoke, making everything as delightful as the Nandana Grove. The king also ordered bells to be rung everywhere with this proclamation:

– Let everyone know: whether long-time residents of the city or newly arrived from elsewhere, all must remember to come early tomorrow morning to escort the great seer on his departure.

Hearing this, the people thronged the roads to behold the seer as he left the city. Longingly and sorrowfully, they watched him depart, then returned home.

As soon as he reached his former mountain dwelling, the seer Asita settled his mind in meditative concentration and, through skillful wisdom, exercised supernormal knowledge. Knowing that he would soon die, he fell ill. Although he took medicine, he did not recover.

Naradatta came, bowed at his teacher's feet, and said:

– Great Teacher, I went forth to seek the taste of the Deathless. Please share with me whatever you have realized.

His teacher said:

– Like you, when I went forth, I intended to seek the Deathless. In the end, I attained nothing and merely labored in vain. In Kapilavastu, beside the Snow Mountains, a prince has been born. The physiognomists all predict that he will attain perfect awakening, be called Teacher of Devas and Humans, and be known as the Omniscient One. You should seek ordination under him. You must humble yourself, abandon pride, and diligently cultivate the holy life without heedlessness. You will then obtain the taste of the Deathless.

The seer spoke in verse:

– The appearance of a Tathagata in the world is difficult to encounter;

To meet one now is exceedingly rare.

Do not be heedless; seek with wholehearted resolve,

And you will attain the unborn taste of the Deathless.

After saying this, the seer died, as expressed in the verse:

– All accumulations disperse;

All heights must fall;

Meetings end in separation;

Where there is life, there must be death.

After the seer Asita died, his disciple Naradatta cremated him according to the Dharma and completed the burial rites. Free of further sorrow, he went to dwell among the seers at Varanasi. Naradatta belonged to the Katyayana clan, so people of that time respectfully called him the seer Katyayana.

The king of Ujjayini had a prince whom he named Luminous Lamp and entrusted to eight nurses for complete care. As soon as the prince came of age, he mastered all crafts and skills and trained fully in both civil and martial arts.

While the bodhisattva Sakya was a youth at play, Prince Luminous Lamp was likewise a youth at play. When the bodhisattva received the consecration of a crown prince, Luminous Lamp also received the consecration of a crown prince. The bodhisattva left the city and observed old age, sickness, death, and suffering, whereupon he became disenchanted with his three queens: Queen Gopa, Queen Mrgaja, and Queen Yasodhara, who headed six thousand palace women.

He renounced them all, crossed beyond the city at midnight, and went to a secluded forest to undertake the life of a renunciant. Relying upon a seer, he learned the supreme meditation that transcends the desires of the Desire Realm. Later, under the son of Kalama, he cultivated the concentration of nothingness.

Wishing to pass beyond the sphere of nothingness but finding no guide, he diligently practiced austerities for six years. Realizing nothing further and deeming this useless, he resumed a natural and unforced way of living, ate fine food, anointed his body with oil, bathed in warm water, and entered a village. There he received from the two cowherd women Nanda and Nandabala milk porridge sixteen times richer than ordinary porridge.

Honored and praised by the naga king Kalika, he received auspicious grass beside the Nairanjana River, went to the foot of the bodhi tree, spread the grass himself, straightened his body, established mindfulness, sat in the full lotus posture, and thought and declared:

– Until I have completely eliminated all outflows, I shall never relinquish this lotus posture.

After the bodhisattva used the weapon of loving-kindness to overcome thirty-six hundred million hosts of Mara, he realized unsurpassed wisdom. Accepting Brahma's request, he went to Varanasi and turned the Dharma wheel of twelve aspects three times.

During this time, King Luminous Lamp also ascended the consecrated royal throne and taught through the Dharma. The people of Ujjayini became numerous and prosperous, peaceful, wealthy, and happy, as explained extensively elsewhere. Through the king's majestic power, the people sang joyfully and gathered in celebration, making offerings wherever they were to the most exalted celestial spirits. They excavated five hundred ponds and five hundred waterways so that everyone could use them without want.

Second individual uddana of the sixth section:

Luminous Lamp became king

And possessed five excellent things;

Because of his own extraordinary circumstances,

The story of Gandhara is told extensively.

King Victorious Light possessed five excellent things:

First: an excellent bull elephant named Mountain Tail.

Second: an excellent cow elephant named Virtuous and Good.

Third: an excellent camel named Sea-Foot.

Fourth: an excellent horse named Reliant Shadow.

Fifth: an excellent messenger named Flying Crow.

The bull elephant traveled one hundred stages in a day and night. The cow elephant traveled eighty stages in a day and night. The camel traveled seventy stages in a day and night. The horse traveled fifty stages in a day and night. Flying Crow traveled twenty-five stages in a day and night. Although he possessed such excellent things and lived peacefully and happily, the king was physically unwell and suffered from insomnia. Because of this illness, he disliked clarified butter and preferred wine. The physicians cooked fine medicines with clarified butter and offered them to him, but the king refused to take them. In the palace, the crown prince knew that clarified-butter medicine could cure insomnia and offered it to the king, but this only made him angrier. The king ordered:

– Whoever utters the name of clarified butter before me shall be beheaded.

Unable to sleep, the king amused himself with the palace women in the first watch of the night, inspected the elephant and horse stables in the middle watch, and examined the treasuries in the last watch. Holding a sharp sword himself, he would ask the watchman:

– Who is keeping the wake?

If the man failed to answer the first or second time, the king still pardoned him. If he failed to answer the third time, the king immediately cut off his head. Because he was so cruel and severe, he was no longer merely called Luminous Lamp but was additionally known as King Fierce and Violent Luminous Lamp.

On another occasion, the king ordered his queen and the women of the inner palace:

– I personally keep awake, so why do you sleep so soundly?

They said:

– Great King, we too shall keep awake.

After being unable to sleep for many nights, they said together to the king:

– If you make us remain sleepless for so many nights, we cannot satisfy the king. Moreover, by not sleeping like this, we must abandon all our duties.

The king said:

– If this is not your duty, who should perform it?

They replied:

– The crown prince should do it.

The king went and told the crown prince:

– Why do you not keep the wake?

– I shall undertake it.

Afterward, unable to endure it, the crown prince reported to the king:

– If you continually order me to keep the wake, the affairs of the kingdom will be neglected. This is not my duty.

The king asked:

– Who should do it?

– The minister should do it.

The king went to the minister and said:

– Why do you not keep the wake?

– Your servant shall undertake it.

Afterward, unable to endure it, the minister reported to the king:

– If Your Majesty continually orders me to keep the wake, who will assist you in governing the realm according to the Dharma? This is not my duty.

The king asked:

– Who should do it?

– The soldiers should do it.

The king went to the soldiers and said:

– I personally keep awake. Why are you unwilling to keep the wake?

Afterward, unable to endure it, they went to the king and reported:

– If you continually order us to keep the wake, how can we fight others on the king's behalf? This is not our duty.

The king asked:

– Who can do it?

– The people can do it.

The king went to the people, and the questions and answers were as before.

The people of that kingdom therefore took turns serving as watchmen and keeping the wake. When the turn of a young incense seller came, he thought:

– The cruel king may kill me.

That night he sat with his cheek resting on his hand, filled with sorrow. Seeing him, an acquaintance asked:

– Why are you so distressed?

He related the entire matter. The other man said:

– Not far from your home is a man named Gandhara. Why do you not ask him to keep the wake for you?

The youth said:

– Just as I cherish my life, so does he. How would he agree to do it? Even if I asked him, he certainly would not.

– Give him money and goods, and he will certainly do it.

The youth immediately went to ask him. Gandhara said:

– If you give me five hundred gold coins, I will do it.

The youth agreed. Gandhara said:

– For now, give me half. If I survive, it will not be too late to give me the rest. If I die, the remaining property will be yours to use as you wish.

After receiving half the money from the youth, Gandhara used it to purchase wine, meat, cakes, and fruit. He invited the king's guards to eat and drink their fill, then told everyone that it was his turn to keep the wake by royal command. Gandhara further asked them:

– Why does the great king require this keeping of the wake?

They fully related the reason. Gandhara said:

– I hope you brothers will look after me.

– The fine food you gave us has not yet been digested in our bellies. How could we not help you?

He replied:

– If the king comes and asks who is keeping the wake, wake me up.

– Very well.

That night, Gandhara covered his legs with a woolen blanket, sat down, and slept for a while.

In the first watch, the king amused himself with the palace women; in the middle watch, he went to inspect the elephants and horses; and in the last watch, he came to question the watchman.

Everyone called out:

– Friend, wake up! The great king is coming.

Gandhara immediately awoke.

The king asked:

– Who is keeping the wake?

Hearing the question, Gandhara did not reply, thinking:

– If I answer immediately the first time but fail to answer promptly on a later occasion, the king will surely cut off my head and cast it to the ground.

The king asked again:

– Who is keeping the wake?

He remained silent.

When the king asked a third time:

– Who is keeping the wake?

He replied:

– Great King, it is I, Gandhara.

The king asked:

– Gandhara, what are you thinking about?

Gandhara was intelligent and skilled in discussing worldly matters, so he replied:

– I am thinking about matters of the world.

Internal uddana:

The cuckoo, the crane drinking water,

Reeds, and a tail equal to the body;

Mottled colors and identical feathers,

Water not overflowing a basin of sand;

Salt dissolving without increasing the water,

Garments and pottery turning into dust:

These are what Gandhara called

The ten reflections upon the world.

The king asked:

– What matter in the world are you considering?

Gandhara said:

– There is a wondrous thing in the world: a cuckoo weighs the same on a scale whether it has feathers or has been plucked bare.

The king said:

– Is this true?

– The king should test it himself.

The king said:

– If so, good. I shall see it myself.

Early the next morning, Gandhara caught a cuckoo and weighed it before the king. It weighed the same both with its feathers and after all its feathers had been plucked.

The king asked:

– Why is this so?

He replied:

– Because wind makes the feathers light.

The king said:

– You possess wondrous wisdom.

He replied:

– It is through the king that I possess it.

The king remained silent.

After a night of anxious distress, Gandhara rubbed his head with his hands and returned to his former home. The young incense seller gave Gandhara the remaining half of the payment.

Thereafter, whenever the turn of anyone in the kingdom came to keep the wake, he would hire Gandhara to take his place for five hundred gold coins. To learn whose turn it was, the king would ask in the last watch:

– Who is keeping the wake?

The reply came:

– I, Gandhara.

The king asked:

– What are you thinking about?

He replied:

– I am thinking about matters of the world.

The king asked:

– What worldly matter?

He replied:

– When given water mixed with milk to drink, a long-necked white crane drinks only the milk and leaves the water behind.

The king said:

– Is this true?

He replied:

– The king shall see it with his own eyes.

The king said:

– If so, good.

The next morning, before the king, he brought out a crane and gave it the mixture to drink. It happened exactly as he had said.

The king said:

– What is the reason for this?

He replied:

– A crane's beak naturally contains an acidic substance. When it drinks the milk, this causes the milk to curdle, separating it from the water.

The king said:

– You possess wondrous wisdom.

He replied:

– It is through the king that I possess it.

The king remained silent.

On another night, the king asked who was keeping the wake. As before, the answer came:

– I am keeping the wake.

The king asked:

– What are you thinking about?

He replied:

– I am thinking about matters of the world.

The king asked:

– What worldly matter?

He replied:

– In the world there are reeds which, when beaten flat and weighed against reeds that have not been beaten, are equal in weight. Other grasses are not like this.

The king said:

– Is this true?

He replied:

– The king shall see it with his own eyes.

The king said:

– If so, good.

In the morning, before the king, he brought out reeds, beat them, and weighed them. It was exactly as he had said. The king asked:

– Why is this so?

He replied:

– When they are beaten, wind enters them.

The king remained silent. On another night, the king asked:

– Who is keeping the wake?

He replied:

– I, Gandhara.

The king asked:

– What are you thinking about?

He replied:

– I am thinking about matters of the world.

The king asked:

– What worldly matter?

He replied:

– There is a kilin mouse whose tail and body are equal in length.

The king said:

– Is this true?

He replied:

– The king shall see it with his own eyes.

The king said:

– If so, good.

In the morning, before the king, he brought out the mouse and compared them. It was exactly as he had said. The king asked:

– Why is this so?

He replied:

– In spring, when it is seen beneath a tree, its body is equal in length to its tail.

The king remained silent.

On another night, the king asked:

– Who is keeping the wake?

He replied:

– I am keeping the wake.

The king asked:

– What are you thinking about?

He replied:

– I am thinking about matters of the world.

The king asked:

– What worldly matter?

He replied:

– Great King, I am thinking of the pheasant. Its body is covered in many brilliant colors, down to every individual feather, except for its tail.

The king said:

– Is this true?

He replied:

– The king shall see it with his own eyes.

The king said:

– If so, good.

In the morning, before the king, he brought out a pheasant. It was exactly as he had said. The king asked:

– Why is this so?

He replied:

– I knew it beforehand.

The king said:

– You possess wondrous wisdom.

He replied:

– It is through the king.

The king remained silent.

On another night, the king asked:

– Who is keeping the wake?

He replied:

– I, Gandhara.

The king asked:

– What are you thinking about?

He replied:

– Great King, if a basin is filled with sand and water is then poured in until it too is full, the water does not overflow. Sand and water occupy one place without obstructing one another.

The king said:

– Is this true?

He replied:

– The king shall see it with his own eyes.

The king said:

– If so, good.

In the morning, before the king, he brought a basin filled with sand and poured in water until it was full, yet the water did not overflow. The king remained silent.

On another night, the king asked:

– Who is keeping the wake?

He replied:

– I am keeping the wake.

The king asked:

– What are you thinking about?

He replied:

– I am thinking about matters of the world.

The king asked:

– What worldly matter?

He replied:

– I am thinking that when one measure of salt is mixed with one measure of water, the volume of the water does not increase.

The king said:

– Is this true?

He replied:

– The king shall see it with his own eyes.

The king said:

– If so, good.

In the morning, before the king, he mixed salt with water, and the king personally verified it. The king asked:

– Why is this so?

He replied:

– Salt is taken from water; when returned to water, it is as before.

The king remained silent.

On another night, the king asked:

– Who is keeping the wake?

He replied:

– I am keeping the wake.

The king asked:

– What are you thinking about?

He replied:

– I am thinking about matters of the world.

The king asked:

– What worldly matter?

He replied:

– I am thinking that when one measure of water is mixed with one measure of dried provisions, they do not bind together.

The king said:

– Is this true?

He replied:

– The king shall see it with his own eyes.

The king said:

– If so, good.

In the morning, before the king, he mixed water with the dried provisions, and the king personally verified it. The king asked:

– Why is this so?

He replied:

– Most people in my country eat dried provisions, and I have often seen this.

The king said:

– You remember things well.

He replied:

– It is through the great king's power.

The king remained silent. On another night, the king asked:

– Who is keeping the wake?

As before, and so forth, until:

The king asked:

– What worldly matter?

He replied:

– I see people throughout the days and nights using looms to produce all kinds of cloth and silk, but I do not know where these things go.

The king said:

– I too do not know where they go.

Gandhara replied:

– In the end, these things return to the earth.

The king said:

– Just as you say, they ultimately return to the earth.

On another night, the king asked who was keeping the wake, as before, and so forth, until:

The king asked:

– What worldly matter?

He replied:

– I see potters throughout the days and nights ceaselessly producing all kinds of pottery, but I do not know where these things go.

The king said:

– I too do not know where they go.

Gandhara replied:

– In the end, these things become clay.

The king said:

– Just as you say, they ultimately crumble into clay.

Internal uddana:

Fierce Light personally questioned his mother

And learned that he had been born from a scorpion;

He gave Gandhara five hundred pieces of gold

And expelled him from the kingdom.

Seeing that Gandhara was quick-witted and skilled in answering, the king asked:

– You possess great wisdom and understand many affairs of the world. Why, then, am I unable to sleep?

Gandhara said:

– I beg the great king to pardon me and grant me safety from punishment; only then shall I dare speak to you.

The king said:

– I grant you safety. Speak of the matter as you wish.

Gandhara reported to the king:

– You were born from a scorpion.

– You insult me!

He replied:

– You ordered me to speak the truth. How would I dare insult you? If you do not believe me, wait until tomorrow morning, and the king may verify it himself.

The king said:

– Good.

At daybreak, Gandhara dug a pit, filled it with cow dung, covered it with a cushion, and told the king to lie upon it. The king immediately fell asleep. Knowing this for himself but still uncertain whether the matter was true or false, the king entered the royal palace and asked his mother:

– I have a matter that I must understand. Mother, tell me truthfully: from what was I born?

His mother said:

– If the great king will now grant me safety, I shall tell you.

The king said:

– I grant Mother safety.

She said:

– Long ago, your father had many palace women. On one occasion, he traveled to another country and remained away for many years. Aroused by desire, I suddenly saw a scorpion and thought, “If this were a man and engaged in sexual intercourse with me, would that not be pleasurable?” At that moment, the scorpion transformed into a man and coupled with me. Through that union, I became pregnant and gave birth to you.

Hearing this, the king thought, “Gandhara possesses great wisdom and clearly knew that I was originally born from a scorpion. I have granted him safety, so I cannot kill him. I should now reward him generously and expel him from the kingdom, lest everyone learn of this matter.”

After rewarding Gandhara with five hundred gold coins, the king had him driven from the kingdom.

THE MULASARVASTIVADA

VINAYA MISCELLANY

End of Fascicle Twenty