1,4,2. Admission to the Order of Bhikkhus. 8 1
4. And the Blessed One, perceiving that, on this j occasion, pronounced this solemn utterance: 'Happy is the solitude of him who is full of joy, who has learnt the Truth, who sees (the Truth). Happy is freedom from malice in this world, (self-)restraint towards all beings that have life. Happy is freedom from lust in this world, getting beyond all desires ; the putting away of that pride which comes from the thought " I am ! " This truly is the highest happiness ! '
Here ends the account of what passed under the Muialinda tree.
seven days, arose from that state of meditation, and
went from the foot of the Mu/£alinda tree to the
R&£&yatana (tree1); when he had reached it, he
sat cross-legged at the foot of the Ra^ayatana tree
uninterruptedly during seveft days, enjoying the bliss
of emancipation.
2. At that time Tapussa and Bhallika, two mer-
chants, came travelling on the road from Ukkala
(Orissa) to that place. Then a deity who had been
(in a former life) a blood-relation of the merchants
Tapussa and Bhallika, thus spoke to the merchants
1 Buddhaghosa says that Ra^ayatana (lit. a royal apartment) was the name of a tree. It is the same tree which in the Lalita Vistara (p. 493, ed. Calcutta) is called Tarayarca, and in the Dipavazrcsa (II, 50) Khirapala. The place where the two mer- chants met Buddha, is thus described in the Mahavastu: kshiri- kavanashawdfe bahudevatake £etiye.
82 MAHAVAGGA. I, 4, 3.
Tapussa and Bhallika : ' Here, my noble friends,
at the foot of the Ra^ayatana tree, is staying the
Blessed One, who has just become Sambuddha.
Go and show your reverence to him, the Blessed
One, by (offering him) rice-cakes and lumps of
honey. Long will this be to you for a good and
for a blessing/
3. And the merchants Tapussa and Bhallika took
rice-cakes and lumps of honey, and went to the
place where the Blessed One was ; having approached
him and respectfully saluted the Blessed One, they
stationed themselves near him ; standing near him,
the merchants Tapussa and Bhallika thus addressed
the Blessed One : ' May, O Lord, the Blessed One
accept from us these rice-cakes and lumps of honey,
that that may long be to us for a good and for a
blessing ! '
4. Then the Blessed One thought : ' The Tathi- gatas * do not accept (food) with their hands. Now
1 The term Tathagata is, in the Buddhistical literature, exclu- sively applied to Sammasambuddhas, and it is more especially used in the Pi/akas when the Buddha is represented as speaking of himself in the third person as 'the Tathagata/ The meaning ' sentient being/ which is given to the word in the Abhidhanap- padipika, and in Childers's Dictionary, is not confirmed, as far as we know, by any passage of the Pi/akas. This translation of the word is very possibly based merely on a misunderstanding of the phrase often repeated in the Sutta Pi/aka: hoti tathagato para/rc mara«a, which means, of course, 'does a Buddha exist after death?' In the <2aina books we sometimes find the term tattha- gaya (tatragata), ' he who has attained that world, i.e. emancipa- tion,' applied to the Ginas as opposed to other beings who are called ihagaya (idhagata), 'living in this world/ See, for instance, the (rina^aritra, § 16. Considering the close relation in which most of the dogmatical terms of the (zainas stand to those of the Bauddhas, it is difficult to believe that tathagata and tatthagaya
I, 4, 5. ADMISSION TO THE ORDER OF BHIKKHUS. 8
with what shall I accept the rice-cakes and lumps
of honey?' Then the four Mahar&^a gods1, under-
standing by the power of their minds the reflection
which had arisen in the mind of the Blessed One,
offered to the Blessed One from the four quarters
(of the horizon) four bowls made of stone (saying),
' May, O Lord, the Blessed One accept herewith the
rice-cakes and the lumps of honey ! ' The Blessed
One accepted those new stone bowls ; and therein
he received the rice-cakes and honey lumps, and
those, when he had received, he ate.
5. And Tapussa and Bhallika, the merchants,
when they saw that the Blessed One had cleansed2
his bowl and his hands, bowed down in reverence
should not originally have conveyed very similar ideas. We think that on the long way from the original Magadhi to the Pali and Sanskrit, the term tatthagata or tatthagata (tatra + agata), 'he who has arrived there, i. e. at emancipation/ may very easily have undergone the change into tathagata, which would have made it unintelligible, were we not able to compare its unaltered form as preserved by the (zainas.
1 The four guardian gods of the quarters of the world; see Hardy's Manual, p. 24. Their Pali names, as given in the Abhi- dhanappadipika, vv. 31, 32, the Dipava^sa XVI, 12, &c., were, Dhatara/Ma, Viru/^aka, Virupakkha, and Vessava/za or Kuvera.
2 Onitapattapa;zi, which is said very frequently of a person who has finished his meal, is translated by Childers, ' whose hand is removed from the bowl ' (comp. also Trenckner, Pali Miscellany, p. 66). We do not think this explanation right, though it agrees with, or probably is based on, a note of Buddhaghosa ('pattato ka, apanitapamw'). Onita, i.e. avanita, is not apanita, and the end of the dinner was marked, not by the Bhikkhu's removing his hand from the bowl, but by his washing the bowl (see Aulla- vagga VIII, 4, 6), and, of course, his hands. In Sanskrit the meaning of ava-ni is, to pour (water) upon something; see the Petersburg Dictionary. We have translated, therefore, onita- pattapam accordingly.
84 MAHAVAGGA. I, 5, 1.
at the feet of the Blessed One and thus addressed
the Blessed One : ' We take our refuge, Lord, in
the Blessed One and in the Dhamma ; may the
Blessed One receive us as disciples who, from this day
forth while our life lasts, have taken their refuge (in
him).' These were the first in the world to become
lay-disciples (of the Buddha) by the formula which
contained (only) the dyad \
Here ends the account of what passed under the Ra^ayatana tree.
seven days, arose from that state of meditation, and
went from the foot of the Ra^ayatana tree to the
A^apala banyan tree. And when he had reached
it, the Blessed One stayed there at the foot of the
A^apala banyan tree.
2. Then in the mind of the Blessed One, who
was alone, and had retired into solitude, the
following thought arose : f I have penetrated this
doctrine which is profound, difficult to perceive and
to understand, which brings quietude of heart, which
is exalted, which is unattainable by reasoning, ab-
struse, intelligible (only) to the wise. This people, on
the other hand, is given to desire, intent upon desire,
delighting in desire. To this people, therefore, who
1 Because there was no Sa/rcgha at that time, their declaration of taking refuge, by which they became upasakas, could refer only to the dyad (the Buddha and the Dhamma), instead of to the triad of the Buddha, the Dhamma, and the Sa#zgha.
I, 5, 4. ADMISSION TO THE ORDER OF BHIKKHUS. 85
are given to desire, intent upon desire, delighting
in desire, the law of causality and the chain of
causation will be a matter difficult to understand ;
most difficult for them to understand will be also
the extinction of all sa;wkharas, the getting rid of
all the substrata (of existence1), the destruction of
desire, the absence of passion, quietude of heart,
Nirvana! Now if I proclaim the doctrine, and other
men are not able to understand my preaching, there
would result but weariness and annoyance to me.'
3. And then the following. . . . 2 stanzas, unheard
before, occurred to the Blessed One : ' With great
pains have I acquired it. Enough ! why should I
now proclaim it ? This doctrine will not be easy to
understand to beings that are lost in lust and hatred.
' Given to lust, surrounded with thick darkness,
they will not see what is repugnant (to their minds),
abstruse, profound, difficult to perceive, and subtle/
4. When the Blessed One pondered over this
matter, his mind became inclined to remain in quiet,
and not to preach the doctrine. Then Brahma
1 The up ad his (substrata of existence) are specified in the com- mentary on the Sutta-Nipata, ap. Dhammapada, p. 433: 'sabbupadhi- naffz parikkhaya 'ti sabbesa/ra khandhakamagu^akilesabhisawkhara- bhedana^ upadhina#z parikkhiTzatta.' Probably abhisawkhara is not co-ordinate with the other members of the compound, but is determined by them, comp. pabba^abhisawkhara, iddhabhisaw- khara, gamikabhisa^khara. The upadhis, therefore, according to this passage, consist : firstly, in the actions of mind that are directed towards the khan d has (i. e. that have the effect of propagating and augmenting the dominion of the khandhas); secondly, in the actions tending to the fivefold pleasures of sense ; and thirdly, in those connected with kilesa (evil passion).
2 Buddhaghosa explains ana^^ariya by anua^^^ariya, which
is alike unintelligible to us. The Lalita Vistara (p. 515, ed. Calcutta)
has abhiksh^am ('repeatedly').
86 MAHAVAGGA. 1, 5, 5.
Sahampati \ understanding by the power of his
mind the reflection which had arisen in the mind
of the Blessed One, thought : ' Alas ! the world
perishes ! Alas ! the world is destroyed ! if the mind
of the Tath&gata, of the holy, of the absolute
Sambuddha inclines itself to remain in quiet, and
not to preach the doctrine/
5. Then Brahma Sahampati disappeared from
Brahma's world, and appeared before the Blessed
One (as quickly) as a strong man might stretch his
bent arm out, or draw back his out-stretched arm.
6. And Brahma Sahampati adjusted his upper
robe so as to cover one shoulder, and putting his
right knee on the ground, raised his joined hands
towards the Blessed One, and said to the Blessed
One : ' Lord, may the Blessed One preach the
doctrine ! may the perfect One preach the doctrine !
there are beings Avhose mental eyes are darkened
by scarcely any dust ; but if they do not hear the
doctrine, they cannot attain salvation. These will
understand the doctrine/
7. Thus spoke Brahma Sahampati ; and when he
had thus spoken, he further said : ' The Dhamma
hitherto manifested in the country of Magadha has
been impure, thought out by contaminated men. But
do thou now open the door of the Immortal2; let them
hear the doctrine discovered by the spotless One !
' As a man standing on a rock, on mountain's
1 It is difficult to believe that the Pali name of Brahma Saham- pati, the ruler of the Brahma worlds (see Spence Hardy's Manual, PP- 43> 56), is not connected with the Brahman svayambhu of the Brahmanical literature. Perhaps the Sanskrit equivalent of sahampati might be svayampati.
2 A mat a, an epithet of Arahatship, which may perhaps mean simply ambrosia. See Rh. D., Buddhism, pp. 60, in, 184.
I, 5, io. ADMISSION TO THE ORDER OF BHIKKHUS. 87
top, might overlook the people all around, thus, O
wise One, ascending to the highest palace of Truth,
look down, all-seeing One, upon the people lost in
suffering, overcome by birth and decay, — thou, who
hast freed thyself from suffering !
' Arise, O hero ; O victorious One ! Wander
through the world, O leader of the pilgrim band,
who thyself art free from debt. May the Blessed
One preach the doctrine ; there will be people who
can understand it!'
8. When he had spoken thus, the Blessed One
said to Brahma Sahampati : ' The following thought,
Brahma, has occurred to me : " I have penetrated
this doctrine, .... (&c, down to end of § 2)." And
also, Brahma, the following . . . . * stanzas have pre-
sented themselves to my mind, which had not been
heard (by me) before: " With great pains, .... (&c,
down to end of § 3)." When I pondered over this
matter, Brahma, my mind became inclined to remain
in quiet, and not to preach the doctrine/
9. And a second time Brahma Sahampati said to
the Blessed One : ' Lord, may the Blessed One preach
the doctrine, .... (&c, as in §§ 6, 7)/ And for the
second time the Blessed One said to Brahma Saham-
pati : ' The following thought (&c, as before)/
10. And a third time Brahma Sahampati said
to the Blessed One: 'Lord, may the Blessed One
preach the doctrine, .... (&c, as before)/
Then the Blessed One, when he had heard Brah-
ma's solicitation, looked, full of compassion towards
sentient beings, over the world, with his (all-per-
ceiving) eye of a Buddha. And the Blessed One,
looking over the world with his eye of a Buddha,
1 See § 3 with our note for this omitted word.
88 MAHAVAGGA. 1, 5, ir.
saw beings whose mental eyes were darkened by
scarcely any dust, and beings whose eyes were
covered by much dust, beings sharp of sense and
blunt of sense, of good disposition and of bad dis-
position, easy to instruct and difficult to instruct, some
of them seeing the dangers of future life and of sin.
11. As, in a pond of blue lotuses, or water-roses,
or white lotuses, some blue lotuses, or water-roses,
or white lotuses, born in the water, grown up in
the water, do not emerge over the water, but thrive
hidden under the water ; and other blue lotuses, or
water-roses, or white lotuses, born in the water,
grown up in the water, reach to the surface of the
water ; and other blue lotuses, or water-roses, or
white lotuses, born in the water, grown up in the
water, stand emerging out of the water, and the
water does not touch them, —
1 2. Thus the Blessed One, looking over the world
with his eye of a Buddha, saw beings whose mental
eyes were darkened, .... (&c, the text repeats $ 10) ;
and when he had thus seen them, he addressed
Brahma Sahampati in the following stanza : ' Wide
opened is the door of the Immortal to all who have
ears to hear; let them send forth faith to meet it.
The Dhamma sweet and good I spake not, Brahma,
despairing of the weary task, to men/
13. Then Brahma Sahampati understood: ' The
Blessed One grants my request that He should
preach the doctrine/ And he bowed down before
the Blessed One, and passed round him with his
right side towards him ; and then he straightway
disappeared.