Fetching
One moment.
Fetching
One moment.
Romanised transliteration as printed by the translator, not the original script. This is what we hold.
1them ? How then, brethren, can this be possible — that whereas any- thing whatever born, brought into being, and or- ganised contains within itself the inherent necessity of dissolution — how then can this be possible that such a being should not be dissolved ? No such condition can exist ! ' 42. Now just at that time four chieftains of the M alias had bathed their heads and clad themselves in new garments with the intention of setting on fire the funeral pile of the Blessed One. But, behold, they were unable to set it alight ! 43. Then the Mallas of Kusiniri said to the venerable Anuruddha : ' What, Lord, can be the reason, and what the cause, that four chieftains of the Mallas who have bathed their heads, and clad themselves in new garments, with the intention of setting on fire the funeral pile of the Blessed One, are unable to set it on fire ? ' 4 It is because you, O V&se/^as, have one purpose, and the spirits have another purpose.' 44. * But what, Lord, is the purpose of the spirits ? ' * The purpose of the spirits, O V&se//^as, is this : That venerable brother Mahi Kassapa is now journeying along the high road from Pivi to Kusi- n&rk with a great company of the brethren, with five hundred of the brethren. The funeral pile of vr. mahA-parinibbAna-sutta. 129 the Blessed One shall not catch fire, until the venera- ble Mah£ Kassapa shall have been able reverently to salute the sacred feet of the Blessed One.' * Even according to the purpose of the spirits, so, Lord, let it be!' 45. Then the venerable Mah£ Kassapa went on to Makufe-bandhana of Kusin£r£, to the shrine of the Mallas, to the place where the funeral pile of the Blessed One was. And when he had come up to it, he arranged his robe on one shoulder ; and bowing down with clasped hands he thrice walked reverently round the pile ; and then, uncovering the feet, he bowed down in reverence at the feet of the Blessed One. 46. And those five hundred brethren arranged their robes on one shoulder; and bowing down with clasped hands, they thrice walked reverently round the pile, and then bowed down in reverence at the feet of the Blessed One. 47. And when the homage of the venerable Mah£ Kassapa and of those five hundred brethren was ended, the funeral pile of the Blessed One caught fire of itself 1 . 1 It is possible that we have here the survival of some ancient custom. Spence Hardy appropriately refers to a ceremony among Jews (of what place or time is not mentioned) in the following terms : ' Just before a Jew is taken out of the house to be buried, the relatives and acquaintances of the departed stand round the coffin ; when the feet are uncovered ; and each in rotation lays hold of the great toes, and begs pardon for any offence given to the deceased, and requests a favourable mention of them in the next world/ (Manual of Buddhism, p. 348).
2, the relatives and acquaintances of the departed stand round the coffin ; when the feet are uncovered ; and each in rotation lays hold of the great toes, and begs pardon for any offence given to the deceased, and requests a favourable mention of them in the next world/ (Manual of Buddhism, p. 348). The Buddhist bhikkhus in Siam and the great majority of those in Ceylon (the adherents of theSiyam-sam&gama) always keep one shoulder uncovered. It is evident that the bhikkhus I30 THE BOOK OF THE GREAT DECEASE. CH. 48. Now as the body of the Blessed One burned itself away, from the skin and the integument, and the flesh, and the nerves, and the fluid of the joints, neither soot nor ash was seen : and only the bones remained behind. Just as one sees no soot or ash when glue or oil is burned ; so, as the body of the Blessed One burned itself away, from the skin and the integu- ment, and the flesh, and the nerves, and the fluid of the joints, neither soot nor ash was seen : and only the bones remained behind. And of those five hundred pieces of raiment the very innermost and outermost were both consumed. 49. And when the body of the Blessed One had been burnt up, there came down streams of water from the sky and extinguished the funeral pile of the Blessed One ; and there burst forth streams of water from the storehouse of the waters (beneath the earth), and extinguished the funeral pile of the Blessed One. The M alias of Kusin£r& also brought water scented with all kinds of perfumes, and ex- tinguished the funeral pile of the Blessed One \ in Burma, and those in Ceylon who belong to the Amara-pura- s a ma gam a, are more in accordance with ancient custom in wearing the robe ordinarily over both shoulders. 1 There is something very quaint in the way in which the faithful Mallas are here represented as bringing coals to Newcastle. The 'storehouse of the waters' is in Pali udaka-sila, on which Buddhaghosa has two theories: first, that the Sala trees around shed down a miraculous rain from their trunks and branches and leaves; and next, that the waters burst up from the earth and became as it were a diadem of crystal round the pyre. On the belief that water thus burst up miraculously through the earth, see 'Buddhist Birth Stories/ pp. 64, 67. If the reading be correct it is scarcely possible that sala can here have anything to do with Sala trees ; but the other interpretation is open to the objections vi. mahA-parinibbAna-sutta. 131 50. Then the Mallas of Kusiniri surrounded the bones of the Blessed One in their council hall with a lattice work of spears, and with a rampart of bows ; and there for seven days they paid honour and reverence and respect and homage to them with dance and song and music, and with garlands and perfumes. 51. Now the king of Magadha, A^atasattu, the son of the queen of the Videha clan, heard the news that the Blessed One had died at KusindrA.
3of bows ; and there for seven days they paid honour and reverence and respect and homage to them with dance and song and music, and with garlands and perfumes. 51. Now the king of Magadha, A^atasattu, the son of the queen of the Videha clan, heard the news that the Blessed One had died at KusindrA. Then the king of Magadha, A^atasattu, the son of the queen of the Videha clan, sent a mes- senger to the Mallas, saying, ' The Blessed One belonged to the soldier caste, and I too am of the soldier caste. I am worthy to receive a portion of the relics of the Blessed One. Over the remains of the Blessed One will I put up a sacred cairn, and in their honour will I celebrate a feast 1 ! ' 52. And the Uikkhzvis of Vesfili heard the news that the Blessed One had died at Kusinfiri. And the Uikkhavis of Ves&li sent a messenger to the Mallas, saying, * The Blessed One belonged to the soldier caste, and we too are of the soldier caste. We are worthy to receive a portion of the relics of the Blessed One. Over the remains of the Blessed One will we put up a sacred cairn, and in their honour will we celebrate a feast ! ' 53. And the S&kiyas of Kapila-vatthu heard the that sala means an open hall rather than a storehouse, and that the belief in a ' storehouse of water ' has not, as yet, been found elsewhere. 1 The commentator gives a long account of A^tasattu's pro- ceedings on this occasion. K 2 132 THE BOOK OF THE GREAT DECEASE. CH. news that the Blessed One had died at Kusin&ri. And the S&kiyas of Kapila-vatthu sent a messenger to the Mallas, saying, 1 The Blessed One was the pride of our race. We are worthy to receive a portion of the relics of the Blessed One. Over the remains of the Blessed One will we put up a sacred cairn, and in their honour will we celebrate a feast ! ' 54. And the Bulis of Allakappa heard the news that the Blessed One had died at Kusin&ri. And the Bulis of Allakappa sent a messenger to the Mallas, saying, ' The Blessed One belonged to the soldier caste, and we too are of the soldier caste. We are worthy to receive a portion of the relics of the Blessed One. Over the remains of the Blessed One will we put up a sacred cairn, and in their honour will we celebrate a feast ! ' 55. And the Koliyas of R&mag&ma heard the news that the Blessed One had died at Kusin&ri. And the Koliyas of RAmagfima sent a messenger to the Mallas, saying, ' The Blessed One belonged to the soldier caste, and we too are of the soldier caste. We are worthy to receive a portion of the relics of the Blessed One. Over the remains of the Blessed One will we put up a sacred cairn, and in their honour will we celebrate a feast ! ' 56. And the Brdhman of VeMadipa heard the news that the Blessed One had died at KusinsLri. And the Br&hman of VeMadipa sent a messenger to the Mallas, saying, ' The Blessed One belonged to the soldier caste, and I am a Br&hman. I am worthy to receive a portion of the relics of the Blessed One.
The source text as printed, transcribed diplomatically. Where the source language uses a non-Latin script that reaches us only through a Victorian romanisation, this layer is labelled transliteration, because that is what we hold.
Romanised transliteration as printed by the translator, not the original script. This is what we hold.
1them ? How then, brethren, can this be possible — that whereas any- thing whatever born, brought into being, and or- ganised contains within itself the inherent necessity of dissolution — how then can this be possible that such a being should not be dissolved ? No such condition can exist ! ' 42. Now just at that time four chieftains of the M alias had bathed their heads and clad themselves in new garments with the intention of setting on fire the funeral pile of the Blessed One. But, behold, they were unable to set it alight ! 43. Then the Mallas of Kusiniri said to the venerable Anuruddha : ' What, Lord, can be the reason, and what the cause, that four chieftains of the Mallas who have bathed their heads, and clad themselves in new garments, with the intention of setting on fire the funeral pile of the Blessed One, are unable to set it on fire ? ' 4 It is because you, O V&se/^as, have one purpose, and the spirits have another purpose.' 44. * But what, Lord, is the purpose of the spirits ? ' * The purpose of the spirits, O V&se//^as, is this : That venerable brother Mahi Kassapa is now journeying along the high road from Pivi to Kusi- n&rk with a great company of the brethren, with five hundred of the brethren. The funeral pile of vr. mahA-parinibbAna-sutta. 129 the Blessed One shall not catch fire, until the venera- ble Mah£ Kassapa shall have been able reverently to salute the sacred feet of the Blessed One.' * Even according to the purpose of the spirits, so, Lord, let it be!' 45. Then the venerable Mah£ Kassapa went on to Makufe-bandhana of Kusin£r£, to the shrine of the Mallas, to the place where the funeral pile of the Blessed One was. And when he had come up to it, he arranged his robe on one shoulder ; and bowing down with clasped hands he thrice walked reverently round the pile ; and then, uncovering the feet, he bowed down in reverence at the feet of the Blessed One. 46. And those five hundred brethren arranged their robes on one shoulder; and bowing down with clasped hands, they thrice walked reverently round the pile, and then bowed down in reverence at the feet of the Blessed One. 47. And when the homage of the venerable Mah£ Kassapa and of those five hundred brethren was ended, the funeral pile of the Blessed One caught fire of itself 1 . 1 It is possible that we have here the survival of some ancient custom. Spence Hardy appropriately refers to a ceremony among Jews (of what place or time is not mentioned) in the following terms : ' Just before a Jew is taken out of the house to be buried, the relatives and acquaintances of the departed stand round the coffin ; when the feet are uncovered ; and each in rotation lays hold of the great toes, and begs pardon for any offence given to the deceased, and requests a favourable mention of them in the next world/ (Manual of Buddhism, p. 348).
2, the relatives and acquaintances of the departed stand round the coffin ; when the feet are uncovered ; and each in rotation lays hold of the great toes, and begs pardon for any offence given to the deceased, and requests a favourable mention of them in the next world/ (Manual of Buddhism, p. 348). The Buddhist bhikkhus in Siam and the great majority of those in Ceylon (the adherents of theSiyam-sam&gama) always keep one shoulder uncovered. It is evident that the bhikkhus I30 THE BOOK OF THE GREAT DECEASE. CH. 48. Now as the body of the Blessed One burned itself away, from the skin and the integument, and the flesh, and the nerves, and the fluid of the joints, neither soot nor ash was seen : and only the bones remained behind. Just as one sees no soot or ash when glue or oil is burned ; so, as the body of the Blessed One burned itself away, from the skin and the integu- ment, and the flesh, and the nerves, and the fluid of the joints, neither soot nor ash was seen : and only the bones remained behind. And of those five hundred pieces of raiment the very innermost and outermost were both consumed. 49. And when the body of the Blessed One had been burnt up, there came down streams of water from the sky and extinguished the funeral pile of the Blessed One ; and there burst forth streams of water from the storehouse of the waters (beneath the earth), and extinguished the funeral pile of the Blessed One. The M alias of Kusin£r& also brought water scented with all kinds of perfumes, and ex- tinguished the funeral pile of the Blessed One \ in Burma, and those in Ceylon who belong to the Amara-pura- s a ma gam a, are more in accordance with ancient custom in wearing the robe ordinarily over both shoulders. 1 There is something very quaint in the way in which the faithful Mallas are here represented as bringing coals to Newcastle. The 'storehouse of the waters' is in Pali udaka-sila, on which Buddhaghosa has two theories: first, that the Sala trees around shed down a miraculous rain from their trunks and branches and leaves; and next, that the waters burst up from the earth and became as it were a diadem of crystal round the pyre. On the belief that water thus burst up miraculously through the earth, see 'Buddhist Birth Stories/ pp. 64, 67. If the reading be correct it is scarcely possible that sala can here have anything to do with Sala trees ; but the other interpretation is open to the objections vi. mahA-parinibbAna-sutta. 131 50. Then the Mallas of Kusiniri surrounded the bones of the Blessed One in their council hall with a lattice work of spears, and with a rampart of bows ; and there for seven days they paid honour and reverence and respect and homage to them with dance and song and music, and with garlands and perfumes. 51. Now the king of Magadha, A^atasattu, the son of the queen of the Videha clan, heard the news that the Blessed One had died at KusindrA.
3of bows ; and there for seven days they paid honour and reverence and respect and homage to them with dance and song and music, and with garlands and perfumes. 51. Now the king of Magadha, A^atasattu, the son of the queen of the Videha clan, heard the news that the Blessed One had died at KusindrA. Then the king of Magadha, A^atasattu, the son of the queen of the Videha clan, sent a mes- senger to the Mallas, saying, ' The Blessed One belonged to the soldier caste, and I too am of the soldier caste. I am worthy to receive a portion of the relics of the Blessed One. Over the remains of the Blessed One will I put up a sacred cairn, and in their honour will I celebrate a feast 1 ! ' 52. And the Uikkhzvis of Vesfili heard the news that the Blessed One had died at Kusinfiri. And the Uikkhavis of Ves&li sent a messenger to the Mallas, saying, * The Blessed One belonged to the soldier caste, and we too are of the soldier caste. We are worthy to receive a portion of the relics of the Blessed One. Over the remains of the Blessed One will we put up a sacred cairn, and in their honour will we celebrate a feast ! ' 53. And the S&kiyas of Kapila-vatthu heard the that sala means an open hall rather than a storehouse, and that the belief in a ' storehouse of water ' has not, as yet, been found elsewhere. 1 The commentator gives a long account of A^tasattu's pro- ceedings on this occasion. K 2 132 THE BOOK OF THE GREAT DECEASE. CH. news that the Blessed One had died at Kusin&ri. And the S&kiyas of Kapila-vatthu sent a messenger to the Mallas, saying, 1 The Blessed One was the pride of our race. We are worthy to receive a portion of the relics of the Blessed One. Over the remains of the Blessed One will we put up a sacred cairn, and in their honour will we celebrate a feast ! ' 54. And the Bulis of Allakappa heard the news that the Blessed One had died at Kusin&ri. And the Bulis of Allakappa sent a messenger to the Mallas, saying, ' The Blessed One belonged to the soldier caste, and we too are of the soldier caste. We are worthy to receive a portion of the relics of the Blessed One. Over the remains of the Blessed One will we put up a sacred cairn, and in their honour will we celebrate a feast ! ' 55. And the Koliyas of R&mag&ma heard the news that the Blessed One had died at Kusin&ri. And the Koliyas of RAmagfima sent a messenger to the Mallas, saying, ' The Blessed One belonged to the soldier caste, and we too are of the soldier caste. We are worthy to receive a portion of the relics of the Blessed One. Over the remains of the Blessed One will we put up a sacred cairn, and in their honour will we celebrate a feast ! ' 56. And the Brdhman of VeMadipa heard the news that the Blessed One had died at KusinsLri. And the Br&hman of VeMadipa sent a messenger to the Mallas, saying, ' The Blessed One belonged to the soldier caste, and I am a Br&hman. I am worthy to receive a portion of the relics of the Blessed One.
The source text as printed, transcribed diplomatically. Where the source language uses a non-Latin script that reaches us only through a Victorian romanisation, this layer is labelled transliteration, because that is what we hold.
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