佛本行集經

Chapter 10: THE MATERNAL AUNT NURTURES THE CROWN PRINCE

Seven days after the Crown Prince was born, the Holy Mother Maya no longer possessed the protective spiritual power of the devas, nor did she still experience the wondrous bliss she had felt while the Child was in her womb. Her body grew thin and frail, her strength weakened, and then she passed away.

Some masters say: “Lady Maya’s lifespan extended only to the seventh day, when her life ended. Nevertheless, this has always been the customary course of events: when bodhisattvas have been born for seven full days, their holy mothers pass away. Why is this? Because bodhisattvas leave the household life while still young, and when their holy mothers see this, anxiety and sorrow arise in their hearts, causing them to lose their lives.”

The Sarvastivada masters further say: “The Holy Mother saw that the newborn Bodhisattva’s body was full and well formed, handsome and lovable, with scarcely a second like him in the world. Seeing something so extraordinary and exceedingly rare, joy and delight filled her entire body. Because she could not contain this joyful emotion, her life ended.”

When the chief royal lady passed away, her consciousness was immediately reborn in the Heaven of the Thirty-Three, where she enjoyed many extraordinary blessings. One day, the Holy Mother, together with immeasurable and boundless celestial maidens surrounding and attending her before and behind, on her left and right, each bearing immeasurable offerings such as mandarava flowers, traveled along the road from the Heaven of the Thirty-Three to the city of Kapilavastu. Flowers were strewn everywhere as offerings to the Bodhisattva. Descending gently through the sky to the human world, she arrived at the palace of King Suddhodana. Having entered the royal palace, the Holy Mother said to King Suddhodana:

“Great King, you should know that I have obtained an excellent benefit because I lived well in the human realm. Formerly, I carried in my womb a pure being, the Great King’s own Child, and throughout those ten months I experienced bliss. Now I have been reborn in the Heaven of the Thirty-Three and once again experience bliss no different from before. The bliss I felt while bearing him and the bliss of the Heaven of the Thirty-Three today are entirely alike. From this time onward, may the Great King not give rise to longing or sorrow on my account. Moreover, from now until the future, I shall no longer undergo rebirth.”

At that time, Maya manifested her celestial form and spoke verses in praise of the Child:

His impartial mind knows neither foe nor kin;

His valiant body diligently advances.

He skillfully cultivates true suchness, the ultimate reality;

His right mindfulness and concentration shine clearly from beginning to end.

His radiant body resembles pure gold;

He skillfully tames his faculties into tranquil stillness.

My holy son proclaims the peerless Dharma.

With a wholesome heart, I bow to the Supremely Victorious One.

After Maya had spoken these verses, she suddenly disappeared, concealed herself in the sky, and returned to the celestial palace.

After the chief royal lady passed away, Great King Suddhodana assembled the venerable elders among the royal relatives in the palace for deliberation:

“My relatives and royal kinsmen, the Crown Prince is still an infant, yet his mother has died prematurely. To whom can we entrust his nursing? To whom shall we entrust the Crown Prince to be nurtured and instructed so that his life may proceed normally? Who will observe the seasons and provide clothing appropriate to the weather? Who will devote herself to caring for the Crown Prince’s health so that he may grow up well? Who will love the Crown Prince as her own child, carrying, guiding, and attending him? It must be someone loving, devoted, and joyful.”

At that time, five hundred young women had newly married into the royal Sakya clan. All these new brides reported:

“I am capable of nurturing the Crown Prince. I am capable of caring for the Crown Prince.”

The members of the royal clan then said:

“All these brides are still in the bloom of youth, vigorous in health and strongly attached to sensual desire. They therefore cannot nurture him in accordance with the seasons, and they have not yet acquired a mother’s experience in raising a child.

“Only Mahaprajapati, the Crown Prince’s own maternal aunt, can nurture him through the affection of their blood relationship; she is also fully qualified to attend the Great King.”

At that time, every member of the royal family approved this proposal, and the entire council invited Mahaprajapati to become the Crown Prince’s foster mother.

Great King Suddhodana took the Crown Prince in his arms, handed him to his maternal aunt Mahaprajapati, and instructed her:

“Because you are the Crown Prince’s own maternal aunt and also my virtuous lady, you must nurture and care for the Crown Prince exceedingly well. Bathe him and dress him according to the seasons so that he may quickly grow to maturity.” The king then selected thirty-two maidservants to assist in caring for and nurturing the Crown Prince: eight to carry him, eight to bathe him, eight to nurse and feed him, and eight to entertain him.

King Suddhodana had two sons: the first was Crown Prince Siddhartha, and the second was Nanda.

King Suklodana also had two sons: the first was named Nandika, and the second Bhadrika.

King Dronodana also had two sons: the first was Ananda, and the second Devadatta.

King Amrtodana also had two sons: the first was named Aniruddha, and the second Mahanama.

King Suddhodana’s younger sister was named Amita-cittara—rendered in the Sui translation as “Younger Sister of Sweet Dew”—and she had a son named Tisya.

At that time, Mahaprajapati, the Crown Prince’s maternal aunt, said to King Suddhodana: “Your servant shall respectfully follow the Great King’s command and dare not act contrary to your wishes.”

Obeying the king’s command, Mahaprajapati nurtured the Crown Prince. Just as the moon grows progressively fuller and brighter from the beginning to the middle of the month, so did the Crown Prince grow increasingly mature under her care. And just as a nyagrodha tree planted in fertile soil gradually grows into a great tree, so did the Crown Prince now grow to maturity.

From the Crown Prince’s birth until this time, the palace of Great King Suddhodana gained ever more wealth and profit. Gold, silver, ivory, pearls, precious jewels, livestock, and all other things were present in abundance.

A verse says:

The five grains and wealth,

Gold, silver, and garments—

Whether produced or not,

All arose naturally in abundance.

For the Child and his foster mothers,

Milk, ghee, and curds were always plentiful.

Even foster mothers who had little milk

Always found their breasts filled.

During that time, if anyone harbored resentment toward the king, that person’s disposition naturally changed, transforming enmity into gratitude and giving rise to an impartial mind. All united in heart and strength, of one mind and one intent, thinking and acting together. At that time, rain and wind came in due season, and natural calamities such as hail did not trouble the people.

Little labor in production brought abundant harvests. The rice seedlings in the fields, all crops, medicinal herbs, forest trees, and fruit orchards flourished. The colors of every kind of flower grew still more vivid and their fragrances spread far and wide.

According to their respective flavors, every kind of fruit became still sweeter and richer. All crops ripened in their proper season and were never delayed. All this was due to the Crown Prince’s majestic virtue.

Within the city, all pregnant women gave birth safely. The people suffered no sudden illnesses or calamities, nor did anyone die prematurely. This too was due to the Crown Prince’s majestic virtue.

All elders, householders, and people of the neighboring regions were content with their own station. None plotted to plunder one another; no one took another’s possessions, nor was anyone forced to bring property as an offering to someone else. Even when circumstances caused a person to need a certain amount of money and borrow it, if the lender, though expected to give much, gave only a little, the borrower did not think, “Why, when I need this much, have they given me only that much?” The people of the city and neighboring regions all respected one another, served their parents with filial devotion, and honored their teachers and elders.

This too was due to the Crown Prince’s majestic virtue. Just as in ancient times, everyone lived according to the true Dharma. Kings, ministers, officials, and common people all acted in accordance with the true Dharma and cultivated the Ten Wholesome Actions.

The country possessed every blessing and was free from terror. The five grains yielded abundant harvests, and there was no hunger, cold, or hardship. Everything was excellent.

Throughout the realm of Great King Suddhodana, the people suffered neither hunger nor thirst, nor was there any calamity of terror. The five grains yielded abundant harvests, and everyone lived according to the true Dharma. They always delighted in giving and cultivating merit, establishing groves and parks, and undertaking works of great public benefit, such as digging ponds, clearing wells, and constructing ditches, canals, and waterways.

All these projects were naturally completed. Shrines to the celestial deities and sanctuaries in the various administrative offices, districts, provinces, and prefectures also naturally flourished. None of the people suffered sudden calamities; all lived joyfully, as in a celestial realm.

Everything was due to the Crown Prince’s majestic virtue, and thus there was nothing of this kind that was not accomplished.

This is summarized in verse:

The people all honored the Dharma,

And stinginess vanished from their hearts.

All lived according to the true Dharma;

Out of loving-kindness, they did not kill.

The calamity of hunger was dispelled,

And food was exceedingly abundant.

Everyone rejoiced

And enjoyed pleasures like the devas.

At that time, Great King Suddhodana waited until the day governed by the Chẩn constellation had passed and selected a day governed by the Giác constellation to have necklaces and ornaments of precious gems made for the Crown Prince: bracelets and anklets, ornaments for his head, garlands worn around his neck, jeweled necklaces with prominent designs, jeweled armlets and girdles, golden waistbands, golden bells, jeweled nets, mani jewels adorning his boots and leather sandals, and a jeweled crown like those of the devas, all exceedingly beautiful and extraordinary.

Moreover, five hundred relatives of the Sakya clan each made a beautiful jeweled necklace for the Crown Prince. When they had finished, they went together to King Suddhodana and said:

“Excellent, Great King! We made these jeweled necklaces over seven days and nights. We humbly ask the Great King to accept them and use them to adorn the Crown Prince, so that our labor may not have been in vain.”

One morning on the day of the Quỷ constellation, the Great King, together with the royal brahmin preceptor Udayana, father of the bhiksu Udayin, and five hundred other brahmins, all proclaimed:

“Today is exceedingly auspicious!”

Together they escorted the Crown Prince to a flower garden named Stainless, Pure, and Adorned, which people had always revered as they would a stupa. At that time, immeasurable and boundless hundreds of thousands of visitors—men and women, youths and maidens—gathered in the flower garden to await a glimpse of the Crown Prince’s countenance. The king also prepared a large carriage filled with jeweled necklaces, gold, silver, garments, food, and other things, each kind heaped high upon the vehicle. This carriage traveled before the Crown Prince so that a great unrestricted alms assembly might be held at major crossroads and at roads entering the villages around Kapilavastu. The organizers proclaimed loudly:

“Whatever anyone needs shall be provided here in full.”

Furthermore, eight thousand musical instruments played every kind of melody in concert, while immeasurable and boundless varieties of exquisite flowers naturally rained down from the sky. There were also immeasurable hundreds of thousands of beautiful women adorned with countless jeweled necklaces. Some stood on towers, some on lofty terraces, some in watchtowers, and some upon the city walls. Some leaned against walls, some stood at the windows of towers along the walls, and others occupied great mansions and tall buildings. Holding precious flowers in their hands, they waited for the Crown Prince to draw near so that they might scatter the flowers in welcome.

There were also eight thousand beautifully adorned celestial maidens, holding brooms and walking before the Crown Prince to sweep the roads. All the relatives of the Sakya lineage walked on either side of Great King Suddhodana, proceeding in ordered ranks before the Crown Prince.

At that time, Mahaprajapati sat upon a precious palanquin, holding the Crown Prince in both arms upon her lap.

After everything had been completely adorned with immeasurable and boundless precious objects, they escorted the Crown Prince together to the flower garden.

At that time, the royal preceptor, father of Udayin, together with five hundred brahmins, each praised the Crown Prince with immeasurable and boundless auspicious invocations, and then placed jeweled necklaces upon his body. Yet because of the Crown Prince’s bodily marks, all the necklaces were eclipsed. They no longer emitted light but appeared dim, like a heap of ink. The necklaces could no longer reflect light and were no longer translucent, resembling pieces of charcoal placed beside a precious mass of Jambunada gold.

Exactly so! Exactly so! The jeweled necklaces adorning the Crown Prince’s body were like fireflies in the brilliant sunlight of midday, unable to display their light. Likewise, however many jeweled necklaces were placed near the Crown Prince, none could manifest any radiance. When the people witnessed such extraordinary and exceedingly rare events concerning the Crown Prince, they all cried aloud:

“Wonderful! Wonderful! Rare indeed! Rare indeed!”

Delighted and laughing, everyone clapped, cheered, sang, and waved their garments in dance.

At that time, in the sky above the flower garden, a celestial spirit named Stainless concealed himself in the air and spoke these verses:

Even if this entire earth,

Its cities and villages,

Its mountains, rivers, and trees,

Were all transformed into Jambunada gold,

The radiance of a single hair of the Buddha,

Perfect in marks of majestic virtue,

Would eclipse it like a mass of ink.

Adorned with the hundred merits,

He extinguishes the radiance of jeweled necklaces.

He possesses all these marks;

His karmic reward is supremely excellent.

He has no need of jeweled adornments.

After reciting these verses of praise, the celestial spirit scattered immeasurable and boundless celestial flowers over the Crown Prince’s body and then returned to the celestial palace.

At that time, the friends and relatives of the Sakya clan brought many kinds of offerings: ivory beds of various colors, medicines, priceless sandalwood powder, and other fragrant powders, to be used by the Crown Prince and applied to his body. They also brought toys, such as deer carts made of pure gold, various boats, creatures of the fields, and even ponies made of precious gems, so that the Crown Prince might play as he pleased. There were enough such toys for the Crown Prince to play with for eight years.

Nurtured through the passing months and years, the Crown Prince gradually grew. He was utterly unlike other children: he did not soil himself with urine, produced no filthy excrement, did not wail or cry, suffered no convulsions, and did not demand food or drink. Thus his foster mothers were always pleased.

One day, Great King Suddhodana thought, “The Crown Prince is handsome in appearance, with scarcely a second like him in the world, but I do not yet know whether his strength is great or slight. I shall now test him.”

The king then arranged a feast exclusively for the Crown Prince and the royal children of his age. At the same time, the king had a number of young white elephants brought to join the feast with the children. He used a beautifully engraved bowl of pure gold and filled it with exquisite morsels of food. He also made a chain of pure gold and chained the golden bowl before the children. The Great King then ordered the children to compete with the young elephants for the food. The children could not overcome the young elephants and lost their portions to them. Finally, when it was the Crown Prince’s turn, the king also announced:

“The Crown Prince must hold on to his portion of food, or the young white elephant will come and seize it.” The Crown Prince immediately took the golden bowl in both hands and lightly lifted it. The golden chain snapped at once, and the young elephant was forced backward, unable to match the Crown Prince’s strength.

Afterward, Great King Suddhodana furnished many goat-drawn carts within the inner palace for the Crown Prince’s amusement. Each goat was adorned with a saddle of pure gold, precious gems, and jeweled necklaces, and was covered on the outside with a golden net. Whenever he traveled for pleasure within the palace or to the flower gardens, the Crown Prince often rode in these goat carts.

His royal uncles, including Amrtodana, and the other royal relatives also adorned carts for their own sons in the same manner as the Crown Prince’s carts, allowing the children to ride about at will for pleasure.

Chapter 11: LEARNING THE ARTS AND SKILLS

When the Crown Prince had just reached the age of eight, Great King Suddhodana assembled the hundred officials, ministers, and chief counselors and asked them:

“Today, within my kingdom, do you know who is foremost in wisdom, fully talented and proficient in every craft, and capable of serving as the teacher who will instruct the Crown Prince in history, literature, and all scriptures and treatises?”

The ministers replied:

“May the Great King know that there is now a great master named Visvamitra who is highly learned in the scriptures and treatises and is a man of unrivaled talent. He can teach the Crown Prince all the scriptures and treatises.”

The Great King immediately sent a messenger to summon the great master Visvamitra to court. The Great King then said:

“Venerable Great Master, can you teach the Crown Prince all books, arts, scriptures, and treatises on my behalf?”

Visvamitra replied:

“This humble servant shall obey the Great King’s command and is able to undertake this task.”

The Great King was exceedingly pleased. He selected an auspicious day and month and, together with the venerable elders of the royal clan, arranged all the requisite ceremonies. He also summoned five hundred children, who stood in ordered ranks before and behind and on the left and right, making the ceremony appear exceedingly magnificent. In addition, a great multitude of boys accompanied and guarded the Crown Prince as they all went to the school.

From a distance, the great master Visvamitra saw that the Crown Prince possessed such immense majesty and spiritual power that he started in alarm, rose, bowed down, and paid homage at the Crown Prince’s feet. After bowing, the great master rose. Seeing everyone looking at him, he felt ashamed. At that moment, a devaputra named Pure and Wondrous appeared in the sky. He had come from Tusita Heaven together with immeasurable and boundless great celestial kings and spirits who constantly protected the Crown Prince. Concealed in the sky, he spoke these verses:

All the arts of the world,

Together with every scripture and treatise,

The Crown Prince clearly knows;

Indeed, he teaches them to everyone.

The Supremely Victorious One among beings,

In order to accord with the world,

Has studied them in the past

And now feigns learning from a teacher.

All supramundane wisdom,

The truths and the powers,

All phenomena arising from causes and conditions,

Their arising and their cessation—

He knows them all in a single thought.

Name and form, manifest and unmanifest,

He has realized and knows all described above;

How much more, then, written letters!

After speaking these verses, the devaputra scattered various flowers over the Crown Prince’s body and immediately returned to Tusita Heaven.

At that time, Great King Suddhodana provided the brahmins with innumerable precious jewels and ivory and prepared food of a hundred flavors to entertain them. He then entrusted the Crown Prince to the great master Visvamitra. Leaving only the foster mothers behind, everyone else returned to the royal palace.

This was the Crown Prince’s first lesson. The finest ox-head sandalwood was used to make his writing tablet, his four writing implements were all made from the seven treasures, and special celestial fragrances were applied to the tablet’s surface. The Crown Prince then carried the tablet before his preceptor Visvamitra and asked:

“Venerable Preceptor, which script will you teach me today? (The Sanskrit text originally lacks the name of one script.) Will it be the script of Brahma—now the brahmins’ script of fourteen sounds—or the Kharosthi script, translated as ‘the God Kharostha’? Or the script of the seer Puskarasari—rendered in the Sui translation as ‘Lotus’; or the Alaka script—rendered in the Sui translation as ‘Division of Sections’; or the Mangala script—rendered in the Sui translation as ‘Auspicious’; or the Yavani script—rendered in the Sui translation as ‘the script of Great Qin’; or the Anguli script—rendered in the Sui translation as ‘Finger Script’; or the Yananika script—rendered in the Sui translation as ‘Vehicle-Bearer’; or the Sakava script—rendered in the Sui translation as ‘Cow’;

or the Paravani script—rendered in the Sui translation as ‘Tree Leaf’; or the Parusa script—rendered in the Sui translation as ‘Harsh Speech’; or the Vitada script—rendered in the Sui translation as ‘The Corpse Rises’; or the script of the Dravida country—rendered in the Sui translation as ‘Southern India’; or the Kirati script—rendered in the Sui translation as ‘Naked People’; or the Daksinavarta script—rendered in the Sui translation as ‘Turning to the Right’; or the Ugra script—rendered in the Sui translation as ‘Blazing’; or the Sankhya script—rendered in the Sui translation as ‘Calculation’; or the Apavrtta script—rendered in the Sui translation as ‘Reverse’; or the Anuloma script—rendered in the Sui translation as ‘Concordant’;

or the Vyamisra script—rendered in the Sui translation as ‘Mixed’; or the Darada script—of the region by Mount Bird-Banner; or the Western Godaniya script—not translated by the Sui; or the Khasa script—of Sogdia; or the script of the Cina country—Great Sui; or the Mana script—of measures and capacities; or the Madhyaksara script—‘Middle Letters’; or the Vitasthiti script—‘Ruler’; or the Puspa script—‘Flower’; or the Deva script—‘Deva’; or the Naga script—‘Dragon’; or the Yaksa script—not translated by the Sui; or the Gandharva script—‘Celestial Sounds’; or the Asura script—‘Those Who Do Not Drink Wine’; or the Garuda script—‘Golden-Winged Bird’; or the Kinnara script—‘Nonhuman’; or the Mahoraga script—‘Great Serpent’; or the Mrgacakra script—‘Sounds of Beasts’;

or the Kakaruta script—‘Sounds of Birds’; or the Bhaumadeva script—‘Earth-Dwelling Devas’; or the Antarikshadeva script—‘Devas in the Sky’; or the Uttarakuru script—‘North of Mount Sumeru’; or the Purvavideha script—‘East of Mount Sumeru’; or the Utkshepa script—‘Lifting’; or the Nikshepa script—‘Casting’; or the Sagara script—‘Ocean’; or the Vajra script—‘Diamond’; or the Lekha-pratilekha script—‘Going and Returning’; or the Vikhita script—‘Leftover Food’; or the Adbhuta script—‘Unprecedented’; or the Sastavarta script—‘Turning Again as Before’; or the Gananavarta script—‘Turning Calculations’; or the Utksepavarta script—‘Turning by Lifting’; or the Niksepavarta script—‘Turning by Casting’; or the Padalikhita script—‘Foot’; or the Vikutarapadanadhi script—‘Increasing from Two Phrases’;

or the Yavad-dasottara script—‘Adding More Than Ten Phrases’; or the Madhyavasini script—‘Midstream’; or the Rsitapomita script—‘Ascetic Practices of the Seers’; or the Dharanipreksana script—‘Contemplating the Earth’; or the Gaganapreksana script—‘Contemplating the Sky’; or the Sarvausadhinisanda script—‘Seeds and Fruits of All Medicines’; or the Sarvasamgrahani script—‘Comprehensive Survey’; or the Sarvaruta script—‘All Sounds’?”

After naming these scripts, the Crown Prince again asked the preceptor:

“Venerable Teacher, there are sixty-four scripts with such names. I do not know which one the Venerable Teacher intends to teach me.”

When Visvamitra heard the Crown Prince enumerate the names of the scripts, his heart was filled with joy and delight. Yet inwardly he felt ashamed, and he cast aside his arrogance and conceit. Approaching the Crown Prince, he praised him in verse:

Rare is this being of pure wisdom,

Who skillfully accords with worldly things.

You yourself have mastered the treatises profoundly,

Yet you have entered my classroom again.

Such scripts as these I have never studied,

But the Crown Prince comprehends them all.

Great guide of devas and human beings,

Now it is I who shall learn from you.

At that time, five hundred children of the ministers belonging to the Sakya clan entered the classroom together with the Crown Prince. They practiced writing and reciting the letters. Through the Crown Prince’s majestic virtue and the spiritual power of the devas, when the five hundred children recited the letters, other sounds were interwoven with them:

When the five hundred children recited the letter A, the sound arose: “All conditioned phenomena are impermanent.”

When the five hundred children recited the letter I, the sound arose: “All the faculties must be guarded.”

When the five hundred children recited the letter U, the sound arose: “The mind attains tranquil concentration.”

When the five hundred children recited the letter Yết, the sound arose: “The phenomena of the six sense entrances must be realized and known.”

When the five hundred children recited the letter Ô, the sound arose: “One must escape the great ocean of afflictions.”

When the five hundred children recited the letter Ka, the sound arose: “One must undergo the karmic results of one’s deeds.”

When the five hundred children recited the letter Kha, the sound arose: “Teach beings to uproot every root of affliction.”

When the five hundred children recited the letter Ga, the sound arose: “The twelve links of dependent origination are exceedingly difficult to transcend.”

When the five hundred children recited the letter Hàng, the sound arose: “The dense obscurations of ignorance must be entirely eliminated.”

When the five hundred children recited the letter Nga, the sound arose: “When the Tathagata attains Buddhahood, he shall bestow fearlessness upon beings who are afraid in every direction.”

When the five hundred children recited the letter Giá, the sound arose: “The four truths must be realized and known.”

When the five hundred children recited the letter Xa, the sound arose: “One must know that every deluded, crooked, and deceitfully flattering mind present today must be eliminated.”

When the five hundred children recited the letter Xà, the sound arose: “One must cross the ocean of birth and death.”

When the five hundred children recited the letter Xã, the sound arose: “One must cast down and break the banner of Mara and the afflictions.”

When the five hundred children recited the letter Nhã, the sound arose: “One must teach the fourfold assembly to cultivate the Teaching accordingly.”

When the five hundred children recited the letter Tra, the sound arose: “Ordinary beings everywhere are terrified by this teaching of impermanence.”

When the five hundred children recited the letter Trá, the sound arose: “One must keep this letter Trá in mind. When the faculties mature and no longer cling to phenomena, realization and knowledge are attained.”

When the five hundred children recited the letter Đồ, the sound arose: “One must attain the four bases of spiritual power, and then one can fly through the sky.”

When the five hundred children recited the letter Trà, the sound arose: “Form the joyful flower bud. As expressed by the letter Trà, conditioned phenomena are extinguished, and the impermanence of the twelve links of dependent origination becomes manifest.”

When the five hundred children recited the letter Noa, the sound arose: “When one who has attained the Way receives gain and offerings, not even a mote of affliction remains unextinguished as one accepts the offerings of others.”

When the five hundred children recited the letter Đa, the sound arose: “One should turn toward ascetic practice.”

When the five hundred children recited the letter Tha, the sound arose: “One should contemplate in this way: the minds of all beings are like axes, while external objects are like bamboo and timber.”

When the five hundred children recited the letter Đà, this sound arose: “One must cultivate generosity and ascetic practice together.”

When the five hundred children recited the letter Tha, the sound arose: “There must be the sound of the Dharma.”

When the five hundred children recited the letter Na, the sound arose: “One must sustain life with food and drink.”

When the five hundred children recited the letter Bá, the sound arose: “True suchness, the ultimate truth.”

When the five hundred children recited the letter Phả, the sound arose: “One must attain the Way and realize the wondrous fruit.”

When the five hundred children recited the letter Bà, the sound arose: “Release all bonds.”

When the five hundred children recited the letter Bà, the sound arose: “One shall no longer receive a body in a future life.”

When the five hundred children recited the letter Ma, the sound arose: “All the terrors of birth and death are dreadful.”

When the five hundred children recited the letter Da, the sound arose: “Clearly expound every Dharma gateway for others.”

When the five hundred children recited the letter Ra, the sound arose: “There must be the Three Jewels.”

When the five hundred children recited the letter La, the sound arose: “Sever all craving.”

When the five hundred children recited the letter Bà, the sound arose: “Sever all the fundamental seeds of the body.”

When the five hundred children recited the letter Xa, the sound arose: “Attain calm abiding and insight.”

When the five hundred children recited the letter Sa, the sound arose: “One must know the six realms.”

When the five hundred children recited the letter Ta, the sound arose: “One must realize the forms of wisdom.”

When the five hundred children recited the letter Hà, the sound arose: “One must shatter the afflictions.”

When the five hundred children recited the letters, such sounds expressing profound, wondrous, and secret Dharma gateways arose through the Crown Prince’s majestic spiritual power and the protection of the devas.

Afterward, Great King Suddhodana assembled his ministers and deliberated with them:

“My ministers, who among all the officials knows where there is a master-at-arms of exceptional martial prowess, skilled in the use of weapons and surpassing others in strategy, who can serve as the teacher of my Crown Prince Siddhartha?”

The ministers replied:

“Great King, you should know that in this land there is a man named Ksantideva—rendered in the Sui translation as ‘Deva of Patience’—the son of Suprabuddha of the Sakya clan. His martial prowess is exceptional, and he is proficient in twenty-nine skills. His techniques are refined and his movements supple and light, yet exceedingly swift and firm. He can serve as the Crown Prince’s teacher.

“The twenty-nine skills are these: leaping onto an elephant’s back, vaulting onto a chariot, springing across a pit, jumping onto a horse, excellence in archery, swift running, firm resolve, and light and agile bodily movement;

prudent judgment, skill in training, skill in using a goad to control elephants, thorough understanding, careful execution, casting nets to capture elephants, skill in raising animals, strict and impartial judgment, ability to command cavalry, mature knowledge of the terrain of mountains and rivers, a secure grip, a steady stance, combing and tying up the hair, endurance and stability, the ability to break and to open, the ability to split and cleave, archery that never misses its target, peerless skill in drawing an iron bow, the ability to hear a sound from afar and immediately strike it with an arrow, and the ability to shoot arrows that penetrate wounds deeply.

He is discerning and intelligent, elegant in speech, quick in debate, lucid in understanding, abundant in strategy, able to discuss antiquity and the present, and adaptable to circumstances.

“He comprehends every secret of martial skill and weaponry. Therefore, Ksantideva alone is capable of teaching the Crown Prince every martial art and the use of all weapons.”

Great King Suddhodana was exceedingly pleased when he heard this and immediately ordered his ministers to invite Deva of Patience, Ksantideva.

When Deva of Patience arrived, the king commanded:

“Can you teach Crown Prince Siddhartha every martial art and the use of all weapons?”

Deva of Patience replied:

“This humble servant is capable of assuming that responsibility.”

The Great King then said:

“If you accept, you must teach my son so that he achieves the most excellent results.”

At that time, King Suddhodana established for the Crown Prince a flower grove and park named Diligence, where the Crown Prince could travel for pleasure or practice the martial arts. At the same time, five hundred royal ministers also established flower gardens for their own sons, so that the children could stroll or practice martial arts in their respective gardens.

At that time, the martial instructor Deva of Patience took the Crown Prince and the five hundred children into the Garden of Diligence to teach them how to use weapons. When the martial instructor Ksantideva brought out the various weapons in preparation for teaching the Crown Prince, the Crown Prince looked at them but did not use any. He said to Deva of Patience:

“Martial instructor, teach these various weapons to the five hundred children. I already know them and have no need to study or practice.”

Deva of Patience then taught the five hundred children how to use those weapons. Before long, each child had proficiently mastered the twenty-nine skills.

The twenty-nine skills included vaulting onto chariots, horses, and white elephants, extending as far as demonstrating the strength to draw an iron bow. The five hundred children mastered all these disciplines with exceptional proficiency, lucid intelligence, and agility in their use.

Deva of Patience also taught the exceptional arts required of a king, such as the texts on accounting, knowledge and use of mathematics, the carving of seals and printing, and clear discrimination among the musical tones “cung, thương, luật, lữ”; singing, dancing, and amusements; lively eloquence; crafting extraordinary curved ornaments from precious gems; dyeing garments in various colors; painting pictures; blending fragrances; writing regular and cursive scripts with a skillful hand; composing literature; performing acrobatics on the back of a white elephant; spinning upon the saddle of a horse or camel; and skillfully winding around the heads, necks, tails, and legs of horses, elephants, and camels.

The five hundred children became accomplished in all such skills. They also became skilled in using weapons while aboard chariots: flourishing swords, casting spears, drawing bows, and shooting arrows, employing each as they wished; swinging both elbows with fluid ease; striking appropriately with axes and blades; advancing and retreating; grasping shins and seizing arms; throwing stones; running swiftly; and practicing every form of armed combat.

Upon hearing the sound of an arrow being loosed, they could immediately draw iron bows and shoot back like rain. The Crown Prince passed over all these things without studying them and again said:

“I am already thoroughly versed in all these things. The martial instructor need not teach me.”

Deva of Patience wished to teach the essential disciplines of a king, such as observing celestial phenomena, methods of sacrifice, examining auspicious and inauspicious signs, investigating past events, skillfully rebuking erroneous speech, understanding the sounds of birds and beasts, mastering treatises on sound, practicing the crafts, explaining the causes underlying the crafts, and the arts of incantation. In addition, there were ten kinds of terminology, the methods of governance of former sages, and other subjects.

Deva of Patience taught all these scriptures to the Crown Prince and the royal children. Other people had to spend many years studying these scriptures and treatises, and some succeeded while others did not. The Crown Prince, however, easily mastered all these scriptures, treatises, and techniques in only four years.

The other royal children also gained free mastery of them.

At that time, Deva of Patience spoke verses in praise of the Crown Prince:

Though the Crown Prince is still a child,

He learns with the greatest ease.

Without expending much intellectual effort,

He comprehends everything in an instant.

His period of study is brief,

Yet he surpasses those who study for many years.

In every skill he has studied,

His ability exceeds that of all others.