佛本行集經

Chapter 55: THE CAUSES AND CONDITIONS OF UPALI

(Part 2)

At that time, when the two close friends saw the pratyekabuddha flying freely through the sky in every manner, their hearts were filled with such great joy that it pervaded their entire bodies and they could not contain themselves. With palms joined reverently, they bowed at the feet of the pratyekabuddha and made this vow: “Today, we vow that in future lives we shall always encounter a Teacher such as this one, or one even more exalted. Whatever teachings that Teacher proclaims, once we have heard them, may we fully comprehend them all; and may we never be born in the evil destinies.”

Having made this vow, one of the two further vowed: “Through the power of this merit, may I in future lives always be born into a great Brahmin clan, be able to recite the four Vedas, and master the six arts.”

There is a verse:

It is not merely through an upright mind and right faith
That one is called a good field of merit;
One must make offerings to the Buddha and Sangha,
Even through encountering a pratyekabuddha.

After these two men died, one was born in the city of Varanasi into the kshatriya caste. He succeeded to the royal throne and was named King Brahmadatta. The other was born as a youth in a family of Brahmins of the purest lineage. His name was Upaga, and he thoroughly understood the treatises. The youth Upaga had a wife named Manavika. Her countenance was so lovely that people never tired of gazing upon her, and none in the world could equal her. The youth Upaga cherished her so dearly that if she was absent for even a moment, his heart found no peace.

One day, Manavika became slightly angry with the youth and would not speak to her husband. The youth Upaga was sorrowful and distressed, lamenting: “Today Manavika says nothing to me and remains silent like this!”

Later, when the four months of summer had passed and autumn had arrived, Manavika said to the youth:

“Excellent, noble son! You should go to the marketplace and purchase fragrant oils, cosmetics, and beautiful garlands. Why? Because the four months of autumn have arrived, and everyone is enjoying the pleasures of the five desires together. We too should adorn ourselves and partake of these pleasures.”

When the youth Upaga heard his wife speak thus, joy and delight filled his entire body so greatly that he could not contain himself. He thought: “Why has my wife Manavika suddenly spoken to me today?” Earlier, Upaga had possessed one gold coin, which he had lent to someone in another village. Thus, at midday that day, although the sun beat down upon the earth, the heat blazed fiercely, and everything appeared as red as a cock’s comb, the youth nevertheless left his house to go to that village and collect his debt. On the road, driven by sensual desire, he began singing an amorous song. That place was not far from King Brahmadatta’s palace.

At that time, King Brahmadatta had been sleeping at midday in an upper chamber. He had just awakened and was sitting in the cool air when he suddenly heard the voice of someone afflicted by the five desires singing an amorous song. Upon hearing it, sensual desire arose within the king.

There is a verse:

When King Brahmadatta heard this amorous song, he was astonished: “Who can this person be, whose mind is defiled by sensual desire and whose mouth sings such an amorous song beneath the scorching, burning heat of midday?”

Having thought thus, the king looked out through the window. In the distance he saw Upaga walking along the road and singing beneath the fierce midday sun. He immediately summoned an attendant and ordered:

“Quickly go and seize that singer and bring him here to me.”

Upon hearing the command, the official replied to the Great King:

“I dare not disobey Your Majesty’s decree.”

The official went to Upaga and said:

“Youth, come here, come here! Today the king summons you.”

When Upaga heard this, he became exceedingly frightened. The hairs all over his body stood on end, and he was sorrowful and distressed. He thought: “How is it that someone knows of me today? I do not know what offense I have committed against the king. This truly causes me anguish!”

When the minister brought Upaga before the king, the king felt affection for him and spoke this verse:

The youth Upaga then addressed King Brahmadatta in verse:

King Brahmadatta then asked the youth Upaga:

“Youth, what business are you conducting that makes you travel along the road through such scorching country?”

Upaga then related all his circumstances to the king in detail, just as described above. King Brahmadatta said to the youth:

“Youth, stop; do not go. I shall now give you two coins—that is, Indian gold coins.”

The king immediately took the money and gave it to the youth. After receiving the two coins, the youth said to King Brahmadatta:

“Excellent, Great King! Although the Great King has given me two coins, I ask the Great King for one more coin, making three coins altogether. Then I shall go to that village to collect the one coin owed to me. Together with the money given by the Great King, there will be four coins in all, so that Manavika and I may enjoy the pleasures of the five desires during this autumn season.”

King Brahmadatta again said to the youth Upaga:

“Stay; do not go. I shall give you eight coins.”

The king gave the money to the youth. After receiving the eight coins, Upaga again said to the king:

“Excellent, Great King! May Your Majesty be pleased to give me one more coin, making nine coins. Then I shall go to that village and collect one more coin, making ten coins altogether. If I obtain this, Manavika and I shall enjoy the pleasures of the five desires during this autumn season.”

King Brahmadatta again said to the youth Upaga:

“Enough; do not go. Today I shall give you sixteen coins in all.”

The king immediately gave the youth sixteen coins. After receiving the money, the youth again said to the king:

“Excellent! Excellent, Great King! Your Majesty has graciously given me sixteen coins. Now please give me one more, making seventeen coins. Then I shall go to that village and collect one coin, making eighteen coins altogether. If I obtain this, Manavika and I shall enjoy the pleasures of the five desires.”

King Brahmadatta again said to the youth Upaga:

“Youth, enough; do not go! I shall now give you thirty-two coins altogether.”

After receiving the money, the youth again said to the king:

“Excellent, Great King! Your Majesty has graciously given me thirty-two coins. Now I ask the Great King to give me one more coin, and I shall then go to that village and collect one coin, making thirty-four coins altogether, so that Manavika and I may enjoy the pleasures of the five desires.”

King Brahmadatta again said to the youth:

“Youth, enough; do not go. I shall now give you sixty-four coins.”

After Upaga received the money, he again said to the king:

“Excellent, Great King! Through Your Majesty’s graciousness, I have received sixty-four coins from you. Now I ask the Great King to give me one more coin, and I shall go to that village and collect one coin, making sixty-six coins altogether, so that Manavika and I may enjoy the pleasures of the five desires during the autumn season.”

The Great King Brahmadatta again said to Upaga:

“Youth, enough; do not go! I shall now give you one hundred coins.”

After receiving the money, Upaga again said to the king:

“Excellent, Great King! I asked, and Your Majesty graciously gave me one hundred coins. Now I again ask the Great King to give me one more coin. Then I shall go to that village and collect one more coin, making one hundred and two coins altogether. With this, Manavika and I may enjoy the pleasures of the five desires during the autumn season.”

King Brahmadatta again said to Upaga:

“Youth, enough; do not go. I shall grant you the revenues of a village.”

The more this Brahmin youth received from the king, the greedier he became, and so he often came to the king. The king therefore selected a prosperous village and granted it to the youth. After receiving this fief, the youth worked diligently and tirelessly. Like a servant attending the king, he retired late and rose early, performed every task skillfully, and conducted every matter in accordance with the king’s wishes, his mind honest and upright. Serving in this way, he was never once rebuked by the king. For this reason, he won the king’s favor and caused King Brahmadatta unceasing delight. Later, the king divided his realm in two and gave half to Upaga to govern; he even divided the royal treasury in half.

Thus favored by King Brahmadatta, this Brahmin fully enjoyed the pleasures of the five desires and lacked nothing whatsoever. Every undertaking was completed only after being reviewed by the king in due order. Whenever the Brahmin came from his home to the royal palace, the king would often rest his head upon the Brahmin’s lap and sleep.

Later, on a certain day, King Brahmadatta lay with his head upon Upaga’s lap and fell sound asleep. Seeing that the king was deeply asleep, Upaga suddenly thought: “How can one country have two kings who wield the same authority? Nor should two men share a single treasury. Now, taking advantage of King Brahmadatta’s deep sleep, I shall assassinate him. If the assassination succeeds, I alone shall possess the throne and govern the people.”

Having thought thus, Upaga was about to take hold of a knife when he thought again: “King Brahmadatta previously bestowed great benefits upon me. He divided the realm in half and gave me half to govern, and he divided the entire treasury in half with me. If I now kill the king, I shall become an ungrateful and faithless man.”

A second time, Upaga thought: “How can two men govern one country together? Nor should two men make use of a single treasury together.”

Up to a third time he thought in this way, but then repented: “If I kill the king, I shall certainly become an ungrateful and faithless man.”

As Upaga thought thus, he burst into loud weeping. Hearing the loud sobs, King Brahmadatta suddenly awoke and asked Upaga:

“My friend, why are you crying so loudly?”

Upaga related in detail every thought he had just entertained. King Brahmadatta did not believe that Upaga could have contemplated such a deed and said:

“Upaga, you certainly had no such intention. Upaga, do not speak in this way!”

Upaga hastily said to King Brahmadatta:

“Great King, you must believe my words. I truly did harbor such an evil intention.”

Upaga then reflected again: “For the sake of what did I suddenly give rise to such an evil intention?” Having properly contemplated the matter, he said:

“My giving rise to such evil—was it not caused by the five desires? Was it not caused by kingship? I should not covet this throne, nor should I crave worldly pleasures. Because of these things, this evil thought arose within me. There is only one thing I must do: renounce the household life and go forth.”

Upaga immediately said to the king:

“Great King, please understand that today I wish to renounce the household life and go forth.”

King Brahmadatta said to Upaga:

“Do not speak thus! I have divided half the realm for you to govern and divided the treasury in two. You and I are the closest of confidants; there is no second person like you. If you now go forth, I shall certainly be unhappy.”

Upaga again said to the king:

“Excellent, Great King! Out of compassion, please allow me to go forth. Today I am firmly resolved to go forth and no longer have any hesitation. Great King, please do not obstruct what I intend to do.”

King Brahmadatta again said to Upaga:

“Do as you wish.”

At that time, in the city of Varanasi there was a potter who had earlier renounced the household life, practiced as a seer, and was then dwelling in that city. That seer possessed great spiritual power, had attained the five superknowledges, and could touch the sun and moon with his hand. Upaga then shaved off his beard and hair, went forth under this seer, and trained with him. After going forth, he practiced with courageous diligence, attained the four dhyanas and the five superknowledges, possessed great spiritual power, and likewise could touch the sun and moon with the palm of his hand.

King Brahmadatta heard that Upaga had gone forth, become a great seer, acquired great spiritual power, and could touch the sun and moon with his hand. Upon hearing this, the king smiled, entered the inner palace, and spoke this verse to the palace women:

When the palace women heard King Brahmadatta speak this verse, their hearts became sorrowful and unhappy. Together they said to the king:

“Great King, you should know that this man formerly made his living through commerce and gambling, and carried a staff while begging for alms to support himself. This Brahmin had no power, and it was for that reason that he went forth. Today, the Great King should not imitate him by abandoning the kingdom and going forth.”

King Brahmadatta had a barber named Gangapala, whom the king had long cherished. King Brahmadatta summoned the barber and ordered:

“Gangapala, shave my hair.”

Having spoken these words, the king fell deeply asleep. Seeing that the king was asleep, the barber shaved his beard and hair. When he had finished, the king was still sleeping and had not yet awakened.

After awakening, the king said to the barber Gangapala:

“I ordered you to shave my beard and hair. Why have you not done so?”

Hearing these words, the barber Gangapala said to King Brahmadatta:

“Great King, your servant has already finished shaving you. The Great King was sleeping deeply and simply did not know it.”

King Brahmadatta then looked into a mirror and saw that his beard and hair had already been shaved. He was greatly delighted and thereupon said to Gangapala:

“You may take my most prosperous village and freely make use of it.”

The barber Gangapala said to King Brahmadatta:

“Great King, please allow your servant first to discuss the matter in detail with the Great King’s palace women and retinue. Afterward, your servant will give his answer.”

Having said this, he took leave of the king. Since he had always been free to enter and leave the palace, the barber Gangapala entered the inner palace and told the palace women:

“The Great King has granted me an exceedingly prosperous village as a fief. What advice do the queen and consorts offer? Should I accept it or not?”

The queens and consorts then said to Gangapala:

“Gangapala, what use have you for that prosperous village? We can now give you gold, silver, pearls, and precious gems in abundance. But we ask only one thing of you. Will you do it?”

Gangapala asked the palace women:

“What do the consorts wish me to do today?”

The consorts said to the barber:

“Whenever the Great King enters the inner palace, he often recites this verse:

“When we heard the king recite this verse, we thought: ‘We fear that the Great King will abandon the throne and go forth.’ Excellent, Gangapala! Go and ask the Great King what this verse means.”

Gangapala hastened to King Brahmadatta and said:

“The Great King promised to bestow a prosperous village upon your servant. Your servant does not wish to accept it, but wishes only to know why, whenever the Great King goes before the queens and consorts, you recite this verse:

“Excellent, Great King! Please explain the meaning of this verse. Your servant has come before the Great King desiring only this.”

King Brahmadatta said to Gangapala:

“Ever since I heard that the youth Upaga abandoned his position as ruler of half the kingdom, went forth, became a great seer of immense spiritual power, and gained the ability to touch the sun and moon with the palm of his hand, I have reflected that I am still intoxicated by and bound to the five desires. Therefore, I wish to become a seer, and so I often enter the palace and recite that verse.”

The barber Gangapala immediately returned to the inner palace and explained this intention to the queens and consorts:

“Queens and consorts, do not fear that the Great King wishes to go forth. Today the Great King certainly cannot go forth.”

When the queens and consorts heard the barber speak these words, joy and delight filled their entire bodies so greatly that they could not contain themselves. They removed the jeweled necklaces adorning their bodies and said to Gangapala:

“We give all these jeweled necklaces to you. You need not undertake any other occupation to sustain your life.”

Seeing this, Gangapala thought: “Upaga abandoned rulership over half the kingdom and sought the path of going forth, and so King Brahmadatta admires him. Why should I not also go forth, so that the entire world may admire me? If I comply with the wishes of the queens and consorts, that certainly would not be good. Today I too shall abandon these things and go forth.”

Having thought thus, Gangapala immediately went to King Brahmadatta and said:

“Great King, you bestowed upon your servant the things mentioned before, but now I wish to abandon them and go forth.”

King Brahmadatta asked Gangapala:

“Under whom do you wish to go forth?”

Gangapala replied:

“Great King, your servant wishes to go forth under Upaga.”

King Brahmadatta again said:

“Gangapala, follow your own wish; you are free to go.”

Gangapala then shaved his own beard and hair and went to Upaga, under whom he immediately became a renunciant. After going forth, he practiced diligently and energetically, attained the four dhyanas and all five superknowledges, acquired great miraculous power and spiritual might, and likewise could touch the sun and moon with his hand.

King Brahmadatta heard that after Gangapala had gone forth, he became a great seer, possessed immense miraculous power, and could touch the sun and moon with the palm of his hand. Upon hearing this, the king could not restrain his yearning admiration and wished to go behold him. The king told his ministers:

“Ministers, I now wish to go to the seer Gangapala. You should accompany me.”

The ministers said to the king:

“The Great King should not do this. The Great King should not personally proceed to that seer. We shall send a messenger and command him to come here.”

King Brahmadatta said to the ministers:

“You must not act in this way. Do not speak such words. From ancient times until now, it has never been proper for us to refrain from visiting great seers and instead summon the seers to appear before us. We ourselves must go to the seers; only then is it in accordance with the Dharma. Why? Because seers are great fields of merit worthy of receiving offerings. We ourselves must certainly go there.”

King Brahmadatta then exercised his royal authority and ordered five hundred chariots to be adorned. Accompanied and guarded by five hundred great ministers, he set forth from the city of Varanasi toward the dwelling of the seers, wishing to display the king’s majesty.

When the seer Gangapala saw the king approaching from afar, he personally went before him and said:

“Excellent! How rare it is that Great King Brahmadatta has journeyed here from afar!”

The five hundred great ministers were resentful and angry with Gangapala and uttered harsh words:

“You baseborn wretch, child of an impure and filthy prostitute, ever obliged to cleanse other people’s dirt! How dare you call the Great King by name today?”

King Brahmadatta interrupted the ministers:

“You must not speak such words. According to the custom of seers, it is normal to call people by name, for seers possess moral discipline and great spiritual power.”

King Brahmadatta then spoke this verse to the ministers:

Evil thoughts are eliminated and offenses exhausted;
They are no longer barbers or potters.
Gangapala has practiced austerities
And subdued self-conceit, and thus he calls the king by name.

King Brahmadatta and the women of his palace first bowed at the feet of the seers and then withdrew to stand to one side. The five hundred great ministers then hastened to bow at the feet of those seers. Only afterward did they bow at the feet of the seer Gangapala, and next they also bowed at the feet of the potter seer.

After Great King Brahmadatta had withdrawn and sat to one side, he offered courteous inquiries to the seers:

“Venerable ones, are your bodies peaceful, healthy, and strong? Do you have any difficulty obtaining the necessities of life? Does anyone trouble you?”

The seers replied to King Brahmadatta:

“It is so, Great King; such things must be patiently endured. But is the Great King’s august person at peace? Are all your retinue, ministers, and the common people throughout the country peaceful and secure?”

After these inquiries had been exchanged, the seers taught and instructed the king in the Dharma, causing his heart to rejoice and his merit to increase.

After Great King Brahmadatta had received the seers’ Dharma teaching and instruction, which caused his heart to rejoice and his merit to increase, he rose from his seat, bowed at the feet of the seers, and returned to the royal palace.

The Buddha then told the bhikshus:

“If you wonder who Upaga was at that time, entertain no other thought. He was none other than I myself in a former life.

“Bhikshus, if you wonder who the barber seer Gangapala was at that time, entertain no other thought. He was this very Upali.

“Bhikshus, if you wonder who King Brahmadatta was at that time, entertain no other thought. He is now Suddhodana.

“Bhikshus, if you wonder who the five hundred great ministers were at that time, entertain no other thought. They are these five hundred bhikshus.

“Bhikshus, at that time the bhikshu Upali also, through me, received the homage of the five hundred great ministers and King Brahmadatta. Today, likewise through me, he receives the homage of the five hundred bhikshus and King Suddhodana.”

The Blessed One then told the bhikshus:

“Bhikshus, if you wish to know who among my Sangha of shravaka bhikshus is foremost in upholding the Vinaya, it is this bhikshu Upali.”

The bhikshus then thought: “What karma did Upali previously create, that in accordance with its result he was now born into a lowly family and worked as a barber? And what karma did he create, that in accordance with its result he was now able to go forth, receive full ordination, attain arhatship, and receive this declaration from the Tathagata: ‘Bhikshus, among my shravaka disciples, the foremost in upholding the precepts is the bhikshu Upali’?”

Having thought thus, the bhikshus went before the Blessed One and said:

“Blessed One, what karma did Upali create in the past, that in accordance with its result he was now born into a lowly family and worked as a barber? And what karma did he create, that in accordance with its result he was now able to go forth, receive full ordination, attain arhatship, and receive this declaration from the Tathagata: ‘Among my shravaka disciples, Upali is foremost in upholding the precepts’?”

The Buddha then told the bhikshus:

“Bhikshus, I remember that long ago, in this very city, there was a barber. This man sought in marriage the daughter of another barber whose family was compatible with his own, and took her as his wife. Not long after she gave birth to a son, the barber suddenly became ill. Although physicians were invited to treat him, his illness was not cured, and consequently he died. After the barber’s death, his wife entrusted the boy to her brother or brothers, saying: ‘This boy is your sister’s son, your nephew. I now entrust him to you, his maternal uncle or uncles. You must teach him his father’s trade.’

“When the other barber heard his sister speak thus, he accepted the child and taught him his father’s trade of barbering. This barber regularly stayed in the royal palace, where the king relied upon him to trim the royal beard and hair; consequently, he almost never went outside to cut the hair of ordinary people.

“At that time, the king provided the barber with a white elephant for him to ride freely wherever he wished and gave him a golden case in which to keep his razor and other barbering implements. The king further instructed: ‘Whenever no Buddha has appeared in the world and only pratyekabuddhas appear, going alone like the rhinoceros, I must perform deeds that bring benefit.’

“At that time, a pratyekabuddha whose hair, beard, and fingernails had grown long came to the barber and said:

“‘Excellent, good sir! Please shave off my beard and hair.’

“The barber replied:

“‘Excellent, great seer! If you wish, please wait until early tomorrow morning. Come here then, and I shall shave your beard and hair.’

“After hearing this, the venerable pratyekabuddha returned to his dwelling. When the night had passed, he arose early the next morning, donned his robe, took up his alms bowl, and returned to the barber’s house, saying:

“‘Excellent, good sir! Today, please shave my beard and hair.’

“The barber again said to the pratyekabuddha:

“‘Excellent, great seer! If you wish, please wait until this afternoon. Then I shall shave your beard and hair.’

“That day, when the sun had declined toward the west, the seer returned to the barber. The barber again said:

“‘Please wait until tomorrow morning.’

“Thus, the next morning the seer returned to the barber, but the barber again said:

“‘Please wait until this afternoon.’

“In this way, he shaved him neither in the morning nor in the afternoon.

“Seeing the pratyekabuddha come continually, sometimes early in the morning and sometimes in the cool of the afternoon, day after day, the youth asked the pratyekabuddha:

“‘Venerable pratyekabuddha, for what reason do you continually come here early in the morning and in the cool of the afternoon?’

“The pratyekabuddha fully recounted to the youth all that had just occurred. The youth said to the seer:

“‘My maternal uncle certainly will not shave the seer’s hair. Why? Because, relying upon his freedom to enter and leave the royal palace, my uncle has become arrogant. I shall shave your hair.’

“The youth immediately shaved the seer’s hair. The venerable pratyekabuddha then thought: ‘This youth has now created great merit. I should manifest something that will reveal and extol his merit.’ Having thought thus, the venerable one said to the youth:

“‘Youth, if you understand, you should gather and preserve my beard and hair. In the future, they will bring you great benefit.’

“Having spoken thus, like the king of geese spreading his wings, the pratyekabuddha employed his miraculous power, soared into the sky, and flew away.

“The youth gathered the pratyekabuddha’s beard and hair and placed them upon his shoulder. Facing the pratyekabuddha with a pure mind, he joined his palms, bowed, and made this vow: ‘In future lives, may I encounter a venerable pratyekabuddha such as this one, or one even more exalted. Whatever teachings the Blessed One proclaims, may I quickly comprehend them all. Further, may I never be born in the evil destinies in future lives. Further, life after life and age after age, may I work as a barber. For the sake of this field of merit, may I respectfully serve and make offerings to noble ones such as this.’

“At that time, in the great hall of the inner palace within that city, the king was holding court while officials and great ministers attended him on both sides. They all saw the pratyekabuddha flying through the sky. Seeing this, the assembled ministers said to the king:

“‘Today there has appeared an exceedingly rare and beneficial auspicious sign. Such a human body is difficult to obtain. Today, a field of merit has appeared in the kingdom.’

“The king raised his face, saw the pratyekabuddha, and immediately said to his ministers:

“‘Whoever shaved off the pratyekabuddha’s beard and hair will obtain great benefit.’

“The man who groomed the king’s beard and hair was then standing nearby. He immediately said to the king:

“‘It was your servant who shaved the beard and hair of that seer. Who else could it have been?’

“When the youth heard his maternal uncle speak thus, he immediately approached and said to the king:

“‘Great King, you should know that the words my uncle just spoke are false and untrue. It was not my uncle who shaved the seer’s beard and hair. Even in so small a matter, he lied by claiming that he had shaved the seer’s beard and hair. In truth, it was I who shaved the seer’s beard and hair.’

“The man who groomed the king’s hair then rebuked the youth:

“‘Alas, you fool! What authority did you have to shave the seer’s beard and hair?’

“The youth then took out the seer’s hair and showed it to the assembled ministers, saying:

“‘This is the seer’s hair. I have it with me now. Please look upon it!’

“When the king saw this, he became angry and said to the man who groomed his beard and hair:

“‘Alas, you fool! You possess such authority at my side, yet why have you now lied to me? Leave my country at once. You may no longer remain within the borders of my realm.’

“The king took back the white elephant and the barbering implements. He then granted the revenues to the youth and issued this appointment:

“‘From this day onward, you shall always groom my beard and hair and trim the nails of my hands and feet.’

“The youth said to the king:

“‘I obey the Great King’s command! Your servant dares not disobey. From this day onward, your servant shall always groom the Great King’s beard and hair and trim the nails of his hands and feet.’

“Through the merit of shaving the beard and hair of the pratyekabuddha, the youth lived out his allotted lifespan. After he died, life after life and age after age, he was never born in an evil destiny but continually passed between the realms of devas and humans. Then, in a subsequent life, he was born in the city of Varanasi into a barber’s family. He was handsome and lovable, and people never tired of looking at him. The youth was nurtured by his parents, gradually grew to maturity, and mastered his trade.

“At that time, the Blessed One Kasyapa Tathagata, Worthy One, Perfectly Enlightened One, appeared in the world as the Great Teacher: the Worthy One, the Perfectly and Completely Awakened One, Perfect in Knowledge and Conduct, Well-Gone One, Knower of the World, Unsurpassed One, Tamer of Persons, Teacher of Devas and Humans, Buddha, Blessed One.

“At that time, the Pure-Conduct World-Honored One, the Perfectly Enlightened Kasyapa, had turned the Dharma wheel in both the direct and reverse order, had fully realized the Dharma and his original vows, and was acclaimed as the person of supreme wisdom. He established the Lotus Seat for teaching and guided immeasurable hundreds of thousands of kotis of sentient beings into the wholesome path.

“At that time, the Buddha Kasyapa and a Sangha of twenty thousand bhikshus were dwelling together in the Deer Park, the former abode of ancient seers, near the city of Varanasi. The father of this barber regularly went to the Deer Park to shave the beards and hair of the bhikshus. Consequently, the youth accompanied his father to the monastery. When the bhikshus preached sutras or explained treatises, the youth saw that everyone was permitted to come and hear the Dharma. But when the Vinaya was recited, he saw that some were allowed to listen while others were not. The youth then asked the bhikshus:

“‘Why, although all the teachings are words of goodness, do I see that some people are permitted to hear this teaching while others are not? What does this mean?’

“The bhikshus explained to the youth:

“‘Youth, the Vinaya is the secret Dharma of the bhikshus. Anyone who has not received full ordination is certainly not permitted to hear it.’

“When the youth heard this, he became deeply sorrowful and thought: ‘What must I do to go forth soon, so that I may hear this precious Vinaya-pitaka?’

“Later, when he had reached adulthood, the youth approached a Vinaya master and asked to go forth. He received full ordination, studied under bhikshus who upheld the precepts and recited the Vinaya, and practiced in accordance with the Dharma. Nevertheless, he still did not attain supramundane wisdom.

Later, this bhikshu became gravely ill and lay upon his bed. As he approached death, he made this vow: ‘The Tathagata Kasyapa, the Blessed One, the Unsurpassed Perfectly Enlightened One, has a bodhisattva disciple named Prabhapala, to whom the Buddha Kasyapa gave this prediction: “In a future age, when the human lifespan is one hundred years, you will attain Buddhahood and be named Sakyamuni Tathagata, Blessed One, Perfectly Enlightened One.” I now vow that in that future age I shall encounter the Buddha Sakyamuni.

If my wish is fulfilled, may I also go forth and receive full ordination within his Dharma. Among the Blessed One’s disciples who uphold the precepts, may I be foremost, just as my preceptor today is supreme among the disciples who uphold the Vinaya under the Buddha Kasyapa. In the same way, within the teaching of the future Buddha Sakyamuni, may I be foremost among his disciples who uphold the Vinaya.’

“At that time, the bhikshu died and was subsequently born in the heavens, remaining there until the present day. In his final body, he was conceived in a barber’s family in the city of Varanasi and was named Upali. He is none other than this very Upali.”