Buddhist Suttas — SBE Vol. 11 (Clarendon Press, 1881) page scans

e and what the reason that the Blessed One is not pleased with Upâva^a, and speaks thus with him ?'

9. And the venerable Ananda said to the
Blessed One : * The venerable Upâva^a has long

p. 88

CH.

been in close personal attendance and service on the Blessed One. And now, at the last moment, the Blessed One is not pleased with Upava^a, and has said to him, " Stand aside, O brother, stand not in front of me ! " What may be the cause and what the reason that the Blessed One is not pleased with Upâva/za, and speaks thus with him ?'

10. ' In great numbers, Ananda, are the gods of the ten world-systems assembled together to behold the Tathâgata. For twelve leagues, Ananda, around the Sala Grove of the Mallas, the Upavattana of Kusin£ra, there is no spot in size even as the pricking of the point of the tip of a hair which is not pervaded by powerful spirits \ And the spirits, Ananda, are murmuring, and say, " From afar have we come to behold the Tathâgata. Few and far between are the Tathdgatas, the Arahat Buddhas who appear in the world : and now to-day, in the last watch of the night, the death of a Tathigata will take place ; and this eminent brother stands in

1 Buddhaghosa explains that even twenty to sixty angels or gods (devatâyo) could stand £ragga-ko/i-nittudana- (MS. nittaddana-) matte pi, 'on a point pricked by the extreme point of a gimlet,' without inconveniencing one another (Am dSffidjn avyabâdhenti). It is most curious to find this exact analogy to the notorious discussion as to how many angels could stand on the point of a needle in a commentary written at just that period of Buddhist history which corresponds to the Middle Ages of Christendom. The passage in the text does not really imply or suggest any such doctrine, though the whole episode is so absurd that the author of the text could not have hesitated to say so, had such an idea been the common belief of the early Buddhists. With these sections should be compared the similar sections in Chapter VI, of which these are perhaps merely an echo.

There is no comment on nittudana, but there can be little doubt that Childers's conjectural reading is correct.

v.

mahA-parinibbAna-sutta.

p. 89

front of the Tathigata, concealing him, and in his last hour we are prevented from beholding the Tathagata ; " thus, Ananda, do the spirits murmur/

11. ' But of what kind of spirits is the Blessed
One thinking ? '

12. 'There are spirits, Ananda, in the sky, but of worldly mind, who dishevel their hair and weep, who stretch forth their arms and weep, who fall prostrate on the ground, and roll to and fro in anguish at the thought : " Too soon will the Blessed One die ! Too soon will the Happy One pass away! Full soon will the Light of the world vanish away 1 ! " '

13.

mind, who dishevel their hair and weep, who stretch forth their arms and weep, who fall prostrate on the ground, and roll to and fro in anguish at the thought : " Too soon will the Blessed One die ! Too soon will the Happy One pass away! Full soon will the Light of the world vanish away 1 ! " '

13. ' There are spirits, too, Ananda, on the earth, and of worldly mind, who tear their hair and weep, who stretch forth their arms and weep, who fall prostrate on the ground, and roll to and fro in anguish at the thought : " Too soon will the Blessed One die ! Too soon will the Happy One pass away! Full soon will the Eye of the world disappear from sight !"

14. 'But the spirits who are free from passion bear it, calm and self-possessed, mindful of the saying which begins, 4< Impermanent indeed are all component things. How then is it possible [whereas anything whatever, when born, brought into being, and

1 JZakkum loke antaradhâyissati, on which there is no comment. It is literally, ' the Eye in the world will vanish away/ where Eye is of course used figuratively of that by the aid of which spiritual truths can be perceived, corresponding exactly to the similar use in Europe of the word Light. The Master is often called Aakkhumd, 'He with the Eye/ 'He of the spiritual Eye' (see, for instance, the last verses in this Sutta), and here by a bold figure of speech he is called the Eye itself, which was shortly about to vanish away from the world, the means of spiritual insight which was no longer to be available for the common use of all men. But this is, it will be noticed, only the lament of the foolish and ignorant.

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organised, contains within itself the inherent necessity of dissolution — how then is it possible that such a being should not be dissolved ? No such condition can exist ! "] 1

15. 'In times past, Lord, the brethren, when they had spent the rainy season in different districts, used to come to see the Tathâgata, and we used to receive those very reverend brethren to audience, and to wait upon the Blessed One. But, Lord, after the end of the Blessed One, we shall not be able to receive those very reverend brethren to audience, and to wait upon the Blessed One/

1 6. ' There are these four places, Ananda, which the believing man should visit with feelings of reverence and awe. Which are the four ?

1 7. ' The place, Ananda, at which the believing man can say, " Here the Tathâgata was born ! " is a spot to be visited with feelings of reverence and awe.

18. 'The place, Ananda, at which the believing man can say, " Here the Tathâgata attained to the supreme and perfect insight ! 99 is a spot to be visited with feelings of reverence and awe.

19. 'The place, Ananda, at which the believing man can say, " Here was the kingdom of righteousness set on foot by the Tathagata ! " is a spot to be visited with feelings of reverence and awe.

20.

to the supreme and perfect insight ! 99 is a spot to be visited with feelings of reverence and awe.

19. 'The place, Ananda, at which the believing man can say, " Here was the kingdom of righteousness set on foot by the Tathagata ! " is a spot to be visited with feelings of reverence and awe.

20. ' The place, Ananda, at which the believing" man can say, " Here the Tathâgata passed finally away in that utter passing away which leaves nothing" whatever to remain behind ! " is a spot to be visited with feelings of reverence and awe.

1 The words in brackets have been inserted from par. Ill, 63 above. See par. VI, 39 below.

V.

mahA-parinibbana-sutta.

p. 91

21. * And there will come, Ananda, to such spots, believers, brethren and sisters of the order, or devout men and devout women, and will say, " Here was the Tathâgata born !" or, " Here did the Tathâgata attain to the supreme and perfect insight ! " or, " Here was the kingdom of righteousness set on foot by the Tathfigata ! " or, " Here the Tathfigata passed away in that utter passing away which leaves nothing whatever to remain behind!"

22. 'And they, Ananda, who shall die while they, with believing heart, are journeying on such pilgrimage, shall be reborn after death, when the body shall dissolve, in the happy realms of heaven.'

23. ' How are we to conduct ourselves, Lord, with regard to womankind ? '

' Don't see them, Ananda/

' But if we should see them, what are we to do ? '
' Abstain from speech, Ananda.'
'But if they should speak to us, Lord, what are
we to do ? '
' Keep wide awake, Ananda.'

24. ' What are we to do, Lord, with the remains of the Tathâgata ?'

' Hinder not yourselves, Ananda, by honouring the remains of the Tathâgata. Be zealous, I beseech you, Ananda, in your own behalf! Devote yourselves to your own good! Be earnest, be zealous, be intent on your own good ! There are wise men, Ananda, among the nobles, among the Brdhmans, among the heads of houses, who are firm believers in the TathSgata ; and they will do due honour to the remains of the Tathdgata/

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25. lf What should be done, Lord, with the remains of the Tathâgata ? '

' As men treat the remains of a king of kings,
so, Ananda, should they treat the remains of a
Tathâgata/

' And how, Lord, do they treat the remains of a king of kings 2 ? '

26. ' They wrap the body of a king of kings, Ananda, in a new cloth. When that is done they wrap it in carded cotton wool 3 . When that is done they wrap it in a new cloth, — and so on till they have wrapped the body in five hundred successive layers of both kinds. Then they place the body in an joil vessel of iron 4 , and cover that close up with another

1 This conversation occurs also below (VI, 33), and the older tradition probably had it only in that connection.

2 King of kings is an inadequate rendering of jffakkavatti Ra^a.