' Even so, Lord ! ' said the venerable Ananda, in assent, to the Blessed One. And he spread a
1 According to the commentator ' tradition says that there was a row of S&la trees at the head (sis a) of that couch (ma»h), and another at its foot, one young S&la tree being close to its head, and another close to its foot. The twin Sala trees were so called because the two trees were equally grown in respect of the roots, trunks, branches, and leaves. There was a couch there in the park for the special use of the (periodically elected) ra^a^of the Mallas, and it was this couch which the Blessed One asked Ananda to make ready.' There is no further explanation of the term uttara-stsakaw, which may have been the name for a slab of wood or stone reserved on great occasions for the use of the leaders of the neighbouring republic, but available at other times for passers by.
86 THE BOOK OF THE GREAT DECEASE. CH.
covering over the couch with its head to the north,
between the twin Sella trees. And the Blessed One
laid himself down on his right side, with one leg
resting on the other ; and he was mindful and self-
possessed.
4. Now at that time the twin Sala trees were
all one mass of bloom with flowers out of season 1 ;
and all over the body of the Tath&gata these dropped
and sprinkled and scattered themselves, out of
reverence for the successor of the Buddhas of old.
And heavenly Mandirava flowers, too, and hea-
venly sandal -wood powder came falling from
the sky, and all over the body of the Tathcigata
they descended and sprinkled and scattered them-
selves, out of reverence for the successor of the
Buddhas of old. And heavenly music was sounded
in the sky, out of reverence for the successor of the
Buddhas of old. And heavenly songs came wafted
from the skies, out of reverence for the successor of
the Buddhas of old !
5. Then the Blessed One addressed the vener-
able Ananda, and said : ' The twin Sella trees are
all one mass of bloom with flowers out of season ;
all over the body of the Tathcigata these drop
and sprinkle and scatter themselves, out of rever-
ence for the successor of the Buddhas of old. And
heavenly Mand&rava flowers, too, and heavenly
sandal-wood powder come falling from the sky,
and all over the body of the Tathcigata they descend
and sprinkle and scatter themselves, out of rever-
1 Sabbaphaliphulld ti sabbe samantato pupphita" m&lato
pa//Mya yiva agga eka££^annd ahesu/w. (S.V. thlu.) Com-
pare ekaphdliphullaw vanaw at (r&taka I, 52.
mahA-parinibbana-sutta.
ence for the successor of the Buddhas of old. And
heavenly music sounds in the sky, out of reverence
for the successor of the Buddhas of old. And hea-
venly songs come wafted from the skies, out of rever-
ence for the successor of the Buddhas of old ! '
6. ' Now it is not thus, Ananda, that the Tathd-
gata is rightly honoured, reverenced, venerated, held
sacred or revered. But the brother or the sister, the
devout man or the devout woman, who continually
fulfils all the greater and the lesser duties, who is
correct in life, walking according to the precepts — it
is he who rightly honours, reverences, venerates, holds
sacred, and reveres the Tath&gata with the worthiest
homage. Therefore, O Ananda, be ye constant in
the fulfilment of the greater and of the lesser duties,
and be ye correct in life, walking according to the
precepts ; and thus, Ananda, should it be taught/
7. Now at that time the venerable Up&va^a
was standing in front of the Blessed One, fanning
him. And the Blessed One was not pleased with
Up&varca, and he said to him : ' Stand aside, O
brother, stand not in front of me ! 9
8. Then this thought sprung up in the mind of
the venerable Ananda : * The venerable Up£va#a
has long been in close personal attendance and ser-
vice on the Blessed One. And now, at the last
moment, the Blessed One is not pleased with Up£-
vazza, 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 Up&va^a, and speaks thus with him ?'
9. And the venerable Ananda said to the Blessed One : * The venerable Up&va^a has long
88 THE BOOK OF THE GREAT DECEASE.
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
Up&va/za, and speaks thus with him ?'
10. ' In great numbers, Ananda, are the gods of
the ten world-systems assembled together to be-
hold the Tath&gata. 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 Tath&gata. 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 (devat&yo) could stand £ragga-ko/i-nittudana- (MS. nittad- dana-) matte pi, 'on a point pricked by the extreme point of a gimlet,' without inconveniencing one another (Am dSffidjn avyab&dhenti). 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 Christen- dom. 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.
mahA-parinibbAna-sutta.
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. ' 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 pros-
trate 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 compo-
nent things. How then is it possible [whereas any-
thing whatever, when born, brought into being, and
1 JZakkum loke antaradh&yissati, on which there is no com- ment. 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.
90 THE BOOK OF THE GREAT DECEASE. CH.
organised, contains within itself the inherent neces-
sity 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 Tath&gata, 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 rever-
ence and awe. Which are the four ?
1 7. ' The place, Ananda, at which the believing
man can say, " Here the Tath&gata 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 Tath&gata 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 righteous-
ness 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 Tath&gata 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.
mahA-parinibbana-sutta.
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 Tath&gata born !" or, " Here did the Tath&gata
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 pilgrim-
age, 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 Tath&gata ?'
' Hinder not yourselves, Ananda, by honouring
the remains of the Tath&gata. Be zealous, I beseech
you, Ananda, in your own behalf! Devote your-
selves 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/
92 THE BOOK OF THE GREAT DECEASE. CH.
25. lf What should be done, Lord, with the remains of the Tath&gata ? '
' As men treat the remains of a king of kings,
so, Ananda, should they treat the remains of a
Tath&gata/
' 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