Pv 38The Ghost Nandaka

– THE STORY OF THE GHOST

– THE GREAT CHAPTER

4.3

BJT 667King Piṅgalaka had been the lord of the land of Suraṭṭha. After going to render assistance to the Moriya people, the king returned to Suraṭṭha.

BJT 668In the heat of midday, the king went to a marsh and saw a lovely road, a sandy path of the ghosts.

BJT 669The king said to the charioteer: "This road is beautiful, safe, auspicious, and good. O charioteer, travel by this route from here to the vicinity of the land of Suraṭṭha."

BJT 670The king of Suraṭṭha set out along that path with an army of four divisions. A man of terrifying appearance spoke these words to the king of Suraṭṭha:

BJT 671"We have entered the wrong road — dreadful, causing the hair to stand on end — a road visible ahead and not visible behind.

BJT 672We have entered the wrong road, near the domain of the men of the Yama realm; an inhuman odor emanates, and a dreadful sound is heard."

BJT 673The king of Suraṭṭha, shaken, said to the charioteer: "We have entered the wrong road — dreadful, causing the hair to stand on end — a road visible ahead and not visible behind.

BJT 674We have entered the wrong road, near the place of the men of the Yama realm; an inhuman odor emanates, and a dreadful sound is heard."

BJT 675Then the king mounted the back of an elephant, surveyed the four directions, and saw a lovely banyan tree with cool shade, resembling the color of a dark cloud, matching the majesty of a rain cloud's hue.

BJT 676The king said to the charioteer: "What is that great thing yonder, which resembles the color of a dark cloud and matches the majesty of a rain cloud's hue?"

BJT 677"Sire, that is a banyan tree with cool shade, resembling the color of a dark cloud, matching the majesty of a rain cloud's hue."

BJT 678The king of Suraṭṭha proceeded along that path toward that great thing, which was seen to resemble the color of a dark cloud and match the majesty of a rain cloud's hue.

BJT 679Having descended from the back of the elephant, the king drew near the trunk of the tree and sat down at the foot of the tree together with his attendant minister and his retinue.

BJT 680The king saw a full water vessel and various kinds of sweet cakes. And a man with the appearance of a divine being, adorned with all manner of ornaments, came before the king of Suraṭṭha and spoke these words:

BJT 681"Sire, your coming is welcome; and for your part this is not a wrong coming. O tamer of enemies, please drink the water and eat the sweet cakes."

BJT 682The king, together with his attendant minister and his retinue, drank the water and ate the sweet cakes. Having drunk, the king of Suraṭṭha spoke these words:

BJT 683"Are you a divine being, a celestial musician, or Sakka, who gave gifts in a former life? Not knowing, we ask you — how may we recognize you?"

BJT 684"I am not a divine being, not a celestial musician, nor Sakka, who gave gifts in a former life; Sire, I am a ghost who has come here from the land of Suraṭṭha."

BJT 685"What was your virtue in Suraṭṭha in former times, what was your practice? By what noble conduct of yours do you possess this power?"

BJT 686"Sire, O tamer of enemies, O one who causes the realm to flourish, please give ear to this matter; likewise the attendant ministers, the retinue, and the brahmin chaplain.

BJT 687Sire, from the land of Suraṭṭha, I was a man of evil mind, of wrong view, of corrupt virtue, miserly, and one who reviled the Samaṇas and Brahmins.

BJT 688I obstructed many people while they were giving gifts. I was an impediment to others while they were making donations, saying:

BJT 689'There is no fruit resulting from generosity; from where would there be any result from the practice of restraint? There is no one called a teacher; who would train the untrained?

BJT 690All beings are entirely equal — how then could there be reverence for elders? There is no strength or striving; how then could there be anyone with advancement?

BJT 691There is no such thing as the result of generosity; enmity cannot be erased; beings receive what they must receive, born upward through the turning of fate.

BJT 692There is no mother, no father, no brother; there is no world other than this world; there is no gift that has been given, no offering that has been made; even what has been well prescribed is not known.

BJT 693Even if someone were to kill a person, were to cut off another's head, still no one kills anyone at all — the blade passes through the gaps between the seven groups of the constituent elements of the body.

BJT 694The life-force cannot be cut, cannot be shattered; it is octagonal, it is a round sphere, five hundred yojanas in extent — who is capable of cutting the life-force?

BJT 695Just as a ball of thread, when thrown, unwinds and rolls away — in exactly the same way, that life-force, unwinding, rolls away.

BJT 696Just as a person, upon leaving one village, enters another village — in exactly the same way, that life-force enters another body.

BJT 697Just as a person, upon leaving one house, enters another house — in exactly the same way, that life-force enters another body.

BJT 698For fools and the wise alike, after being cast into the round of rebirth for eighty-four hundred thousand — that is, 8,400,000 — great eons, will bring about the cessation of suffering.

BJT 699Pleasure and pain are measured by the bushel and the basket; the Victor knows all fully, while others are utterly deluded.

BJT 700Such was the wrong view I formerly held — utterly deluded, enveloped in delusion, of wrong view and corrupt virtue, miserly, a reviler of the Samaṇas and Brahmins.

BJT 701Within six more months, I will die. I will fall into hell — exceedingly painful and dreadful.

BJT 702Hell has four corners and four gates, is divided into equal sections, is surrounded by an iron wall, and is covered over with an iron lid.

BJT 703Its floor is made of iron, blazing and hot, spreading out on all sides for one hundred yojanas, and it endures forever.

BJT 704Every one hundred thousand years a sound is heard resounding. Sire, that is one lakkha; one hundred times a lakkha is the number of years reckoned as a koṭi.

BJT 705Those of wrong view and corrupt virtue, and those who revile the Noble Ones, are roasted in hell for one hundred thousand koṭi years.

BJT 706There I experienced painful feeling — the result of evil kamma — for a very long time; and for that I grieve exceedingly.

BJT 707Sire, O tamer of enemies, O one who causes the realm to flourish, please give ear to this. Sire, my daughter is Uttarā. May all good things come to you.

BJT 708She performs meritorious deeds, delights in precepts and uposatha days, possesses self-restraint and generosity, is diligent, and has abandoned miserliness.

BJT 709She is one whose practice of the training rules is unbroken, and who is gentle in the households of others; she is a female lay disciple of the Wise One of the Sakya clan, the Fully Enlightened One, the Glorious One.

BJT 710There was a bhikkhu fully endowed with virtue who had entered the village for alms — eyes downcast, mindful, with sense faculties guarded and well restrained.

BJT 711While going from house to house in order, he came to that dwelling. Sire, Uttarā saw him. May all good things come to you.

BJT 712And she offered a full pitcher of water and various kinds of sweet cakes, saying: 'Venerable sir, my father has passed away; may this achievement reach him.'

BJT 713When it was dedicated, the fruit of the achievement arose immediately; I enjoy it, being one who has sensual pleasures according to my wishes, just like the Divine King Vessavaṇa.

BJT 714Your Majesty, O subduer of enemies, O one who causes the kingdom to flourish, please listen to this. The Buddha is called the lofty one of the world together with the devas. O subduer of enemies, may Your Majesty, together with your wife and children, go to take refuge in that Buddha.

BJT 715By means of the Eightfold Path, you will touch the state of the Deathless. O subduer of enemies, may Your Majesty, together with your wife and children, go to take refuge in that Dhamma.

BJT 716Four pairs who have practiced the Path and four pairs who have attained the Fruit—that Sangha is of upright nature, possessing Virtue, Concentration, and Wisdom. O subduer of enemies, may Your Majesty, together with your wife and children, go to take refuge in that Sangha.

BJT 717Your Majesty should at once abstain from the taking of life, should keep away from what has not been given in this world, there should be no drinking of intoxicants and no speaking of falsehood, and may you find delight only with your own wife."

BJT 718"O yaksha, you are one who wishes what is good for me. O divine being, you are one who wishes what is beneficial for me. I will practice your words; you are my teacher.

BJT 719I go to take refuge in the Buddha, together with the supreme Dhamma, and I go to take refuge in the Sangha belonging to the Deva of humankind.

BJT 720I at once abstain from the taking of life, I keep away from what has not been given in this world, there is no drinking of intoxicants, I do not speak falsehood, and I find delight only with my own wife."

BJT 721I will be purified in the strong wind, or in the swiftly flowing river, casting aside evil wrong views; I will find delight in the teaching of the Buddhas."

BJT 722Having said this, having cast aside evil wrong views, having performed homage to the Blessed One, the king of the Suraṭṭha country mounted his chariot, facing eastward.

The Ghost Story of Nandaka is the third.