Dialogues of the Buddha, Part II — trans. T. W. and C. A. F. Rhys Davids (1910)

2 The Suddhavasa deva comprise the five highest spheres of celestials in the so-called Rupa loka, i.e. the universe of Form, the five being named successively in the text. Beyond these five heavens were yet four spheres of the Formless. The following paragraphs develop the assertion on p. 7 : ' And gods also have revealed these matters to him.' . . .

p. 40

mati. His leaving the world, his becoming a recluse, his travail, his enlightenment, his setting the Wheel of Truth a-rolling, were each on such and such wise. And we being of those who have lived the holy life under Vipassi our Exalted One, and purged the lusts of the flesh, have been reborn here."

30. ' And again, brethren, in that group of gods, several thousands of them . . .*. And again, brethren, several hundreds of them came up to me, and saluted, and stood on one side, and said : — " Friend ! in this fortunate aeon the Exalted One has now arisen in the world as an Arahant, Buddha Supreme. The Exalted One, friend, is of noble birth, born in a clan of nobles, in a family with Gotama for surname. Small, friend, is the span of life in the Exalted One's time, [52] brief and soon past ; he who is longlived lives a hundred years more, or less. The Exalted One, friend, became a Buddha under an aspen tree. He has, friend, two chief disciples, Sariputta and Moggallana, a glorious pair. He has had one assembly, friend, of disciples, 1250 in number, and in this company all are arahants. He hasfor attendant, friend, for chief attendant, one named Ananda. His father, friend, is the raja Suddhodana, whose wife Maya is his mother, and whose seat is the town of Kapilavatthu. His leaving the world, his becoming a recluse, his travail, his enlightenment, his setting the Wheel of Truth a-rolling, were each on such and such wise. And we, friend, being of those who lived the holy life under our Exalted One, and purged the lusts of the flesh, have been reborn here."

31, 32. 'Thereafter, brethren, I resorted, not only to the Aviha gods, but also to the home of the Cool gods ; and so, including both the Aviha gods and the

1 The text here is greatly abbreviated. It is intended that numbers of the gods claim to have been, in a previous birth, the followers of each successive Buddha; and § 29 is to be understood, in full, for each Buddha. The full text is given, as usual, for the first and last cases only.

D. ii. 54- THE SUBLIME STORY. 4 1

Cool gods', I came to the home of the Fair gods2. Then on, including thus the Aviha and Cool and Fair gods, I came to the home of the Wellseeing gods.3 And yet on, including thus Aviha and Cool and Fair and Wellseeing gods, till I came to the home of the Senior gods. [And in each of these heavens numbers of the gods accosted me and told me of their previous birth under Vipassi and the following Buddhas down to the present one, myself.]

33- [53] 'Thus, brethren, through his clear discernment of that principle of the Truth, is the Tathagata able to remember the Buddhas of old, who attained final completion, who cut off obstacles, who cut down barriers, who have ended the cycle, who have escaped from all sorrow, — so that he can remember as to their birth, their names, their families, [54] the span of life usual in their time, their pair of disciples, and their congregations of disciples, and can say : — " Of such was the birth of those Exalted Ones, such were their names, their families, such were their morals, their doctrines, their wisdom ; how they lived and how they gained emancipation.'"

Thus spake the Exalted One. And the brethren,
pleased at heart, rejoiced at the word of the Exalted
One.