Chapter 20 Chapter 6 The Venerable Mahakassapa

(1) Be proficient in all knowledge Mahakasyapa, Chinese translation of drinking light, said that the ancient immortal's body was full of light, which could reflect the afterglow, so it was named. "Fahua Wenju" says: This is the big turtle family, whose ancestors learned Taoism, and the spirit turtle bears the picture of the fairy, so it is named.Kasyapa is a surname, and there are many people with the surname Kassapa among the Buddhist disciples, such as Shili Kasyapa and Sanjiaye brothers. They are called big because of their seniority.Mahakasyapa, whose name is Pippala, was born from his parents praying to the Pippala tree, hence the name.Born in the village of Mahasaratha on the outskirts of Shecheng, the king of Magadha, in a family of Brahmin caste, his father's name is Juluta Jibo, and he is a famous rich man in the country of Magadha.From the age of eight, in accordance with the regulations of Brahmanism, he studied sacrifices, calligraphy and painting, arithmetic, literature, five enlightenments, four Vedas, music, singing and dancing, astronomy, meteorology and other knowledge from his teacher.Because he is so smart, he is proficient in all the knowledge he has learned.Kasyapa was different from Chang'er when he was young. He liked to live alone and hated lust.

(2) Separated couples When Kassapa was young, his parents wanted to marry him. He pointed to a beautiful gold cast artwork and said: You must marry me, please find a beautiful woman like this golden statue, otherwise, I will never marry for the rest of my life.His parents sent people to look for the beautiful women everywhere with the golden statue, from Rajagha to Vaishali in the north.In the village of Galavika on the outskirts of Vaisali, a wealthy Brahmin named Kapila gave birth to a daughter named Miaoxian who looked exactly like this beautiful woman in the golden statue.The visitor will tell Kapila about Kasyapa's situation in detail.Kapila was very satisfied when he heard that, and immediately agreed to the marriage.After getting married, the bride is sad and sad all day long.After repeated cross-examination by Kassapa, Miaoxian finally revealed his true feelings: I originally hated the five desires and hoped to purify the holy life. My father was tempted by your family's wealth and married me to you. The wish for many years will be destroyed in one day.Kassapa was overjoyed when he heard it. It turned out that we are gay, and I also hate sex and desire, and enjoy practicing pure conduct.That's it, how about we share the bed and be a couple in name?Miaoxian was naturally very happy.Kasyapa's parents heard that it was inauspicious for newlyweds to separate the bed, so they ordered the bed to be torn apart.So the two took turns sleeping, one sleeping in the middle of the night, and the other walking or sitting in meditation indoors.They lived together like this for twelve years, which has become a good story in the world.

When Kasyapa was in his thirties, his parents passed away one after another, so he discussed with Miaoxian to become a monk. Kassapa said: I will go to seek a teacher and visit Taoism first, and I will come back to pick you up immediately after I visit the Master.After hearing this, Miaoxian naturally thanked Kasyapa for his concern for him.So Kasyapa went out to visit his teacher, and what all the teachers said could not satisfy him.At that time, the Buddha preached in the Bamboo Forest Abode, and Kasyapa lived outside the north gate of Rajgha City, and often came to the Bamboo Forest Abode to listen to the Dharma.One day, the Buddha was sitting under a big tree at the north gate of Rajagha City. Kassapa saw the solemn and majestic appearance of the Buddha, bowed together and asked the Buddha to accept his conversion.The Buddha ordained him and taught the Four Noble Truths and the Twelve Causes and Conditions.On the eighth day after he was ordained, Kasyapa attained Arhatship.After Kasyapa proved fruit, he sent someone to bring Miaoxian to join the bhikkhuni Sangha. Because of Miaoxian's strict practice, brave and diligent, he soon proved Arhatship.The Buddha praised her and said: Among the nuns, no one can understand fate better than Miaoxian.

(3) Thutuo No. 1 After Mahakassapa became a monk, he practiced the asceticism of Tuduo with peace of mind.He did not want to live the monastic life of the Bamboo Grove Abode or the Gion Abode.What he likes is sitting in the open air, watching corpses in graves, and mending clothes under trees.He believes that the smell of corpses and bones is of great benefit to the cultivation of impermanence, suffering, emptiness, selflessness, and impurity.The people of the Kasyapa school believe that the following ten points should be achieved in the practice of Thutuo: (1) choose a free place to live, (2) live a begging life, (3) live in one place often, (4) eat once a day (5) beg for food regardless of wealth, (6) keep three robes and bowls, (7) often sit under a tree and think, (8) often sit in the open, (9) wear dung sweeping clothes, (10) ) to dwell in the place of the grave.

Sariputra and Moggallana once persuaded him to develop Bodhicitta and engage in the missionary activities of Hongfa Lisheng.He refused and said: I can only set an example of hard practice, so that those who come can respect and practice the ascetic practice of less desire and contentment.Once, when the Buddha taught the Dharma in the Lumu Lecture Hall, Kasyapa staggered in wearing dung sweeping clothes, with disheveled hair and dirty face.The Buddha advised him: Kasyapa, you are getting old, don't continue to practice asceticism, take off your dung sweeping clothes, and put on clean and soft clothes, and don't be too tired.Kassapa refused and said: I take pleasure in the activities of the dhutanga. I don't worry about clothes or food. I don't have gains and losses in the world. I feel the joy of purity and liberation in my heart.After listening to Kasyapa's words, the Buddha said meaningfully: In the future, my Dharma will not be destroyed by demons and heretics, but by the corruption and degeneration of the Sangha.If the Dharma will last long and the Sangha will be strengthened, one must live a serious life like Kassapa.Kasyapa, I won't force you, just go your own way.

Kasyapa, who practiced the Thudha practice, always avoided the rich and chose poor families when begging for food.In the city of Rajagha there was a very poor old woman who had no relatives and no one to rely on. She was seriously ill and was sleeping in the dust of the alley waiting to die.The rice washing water from the rich family was flowing beside her, so she quickly caught it with tiles and used it to satisfy her hunger.Kassapa sympathized with the old woman, went up to her, and begged from her.The old woman offered Kasyapa the rice washing water on the tiles, and Kassapa took it and drank it down.Because of the merit of making offerings to the rice water, the old woman was reborn as a beautiful celestial girl in the Daoli Heavenly Palace shortly after her death.In order to thank Kasyapa for his kindness, he descended to the world and scattered the heavenly flowers on Kasyapa's body.

Because of Kasyapa's hard work in practice, he was highly valued by the Buddha.When the Buddha came to Sravasti, he was about to hand over the urbanization area of ​​Rajgha to Kasyapa.Once, the crowd had some reactions to the Sangha in Wilderness City, and the Buddha ordered Kasyapa to inspect it.Kasyapa went to the wilderness city to beg in his robe and bowl, and all the houses closed their doors.Buddhism was very prosperous here in the past, why such a change has occurred now, I went to the believers I knew in the past to understand the situation.The believer said: Since the Buddha left, the monks here have built many monk houses for personal well-being, and went door-to-door to ask believers to donate wood, bricks, ropes, transportation, etc.The masses couldn't afford it, so they closed the door when they saw the monk.When Kasyapa heard this situation, he felt extremely sad, and immediately rushed to Rajagha City to report to the Buddha.The Buddha immediately went to the wilderness city.Call all the monks here and say: We should dedicate everything we have to the people in order to be respected by them.Only by spreading the Dharma can people listen to it.Now some people build monastery houses for personal well-being, increase the burden on the people, and make the people feel disgusted by the bhikkhu. This is very bad.In the future, apart from planning to build monasteries for the Sangha to practice together, it is absolutely forbidden to solicit donations from the masses for building a monk’s house for oneself.There should not be too many monasteries for group practice. If there are too many, in addition to increasing the burden on the people and being opposed by the people, it will lead to a situation where there are many sects in Buddhism, and they will do their own thing, which will do more harm than good.After the Buddha dealt with the incident.Leaving the wilderness city, leaving Kassapa here to set up a tall Dharma banner.

(4) Nianhua smile According to the "Brahma King Asking the Buddha Sutra", once the Brahma King was in Lingjiu Mountain, in order to benefit all sentient beings, he asked the Buddha to speak and offered a golden Polo flower to the Buddha.At this time, the Buddha agreed to the request of the Brahma King and ascended to the Dharma seat, but he didn't say a word, he just held a Polo flower in his hand and looked at everyone.Everyone present didn't understand, only Mahakassapa smiled.The Buddha was very happy to announce in public: "I have Zhengfayanzang, Nirvana wonderful mind, reality without phase, subtle method, commanded Mahakasyapa."At the same time, he also gave Kasyapa the gold-thread cassock and alms bowl that he usually used.This is the story of the "true biography of the mantle and bowl" mentioned by Zen Buddhism. Chinese Zen Buddhism listed Maha Kasyapa as "the first generation patriarch of the Western Paradise".

When the Buddha was in Nirvana in Kushina, Da Kasyapa led five hundred bhikkhus to teach in the northern Duocha Naja state.After hearing the news of the Buddha's death, Xingye led his disciples to the city of Kushina.Everyone was very sad to see the Buddha's body.Only Ba Nanda, one of the six groups of monks, said: Why should you be sad about this?When the Buddha was alive, his mouth kept on talking all day long, saying that this is not right for us, and that is not good for us.Now that he is dead, we are free, and no one can restrain me from now on.After hearing this, Kassapa was very anxious, thinking that the most urgent thing is to sort out the Dharma and Vinaya taught by the Buddha before his death, so that the Sangha can have guidelines to follow.With a heavy heart, after cremating the Buddha's body, he presided over the assembly of the Tripitaka.

(5) Collection of the Tripitaka With King Ajashi as the external guardian, in front of the Qiye Cave on the side of Pibalo Mountain, a virtuoso was built to gather 500 bhikkhus, as the first residence after the Buddha passed away.During the period of residence, he was engaged in the work of compiling the Sanzang scriptures.Ananda recited the dharma treasury, and Upali recited the law treasury.Regarding the recitation of Lunzang, the "Ten Recitation Laws" and "Wisdom Degree Theory" say that Ananda recited it. It is said that "Basically Youbu Law Miscellaneous Matters" and "Ashoka Biography" were recited by Mahakassapa.Analuddha, passed down in Myanmar, recited seven treatises.There are different legends about who recited it. It seems that there is controversy. The content of the collection generally refers to the Tripitaka of Sutras, Vinaya, and Lun. , "Chengshi Lun" divides miscellaneous Tibetans into miscellaneous Tibetans and Bodhisattva Tibetans.After the extinction of the Buddha, Kasyapa was able to take the initiative to provoke the burden of governing the public, gather sacred scriptures, and avoid the split of the sect, which made a major contribution in the history of Buddhism.

(6) Waiting for Maitreya on Jizu Mountain It is said that Da Kassapa lived to be more than a hundred years old and taught the Dharma to Ananda. Then he went to Jizu Mountain (there are three peaks standing on the mountain, shaped like chicken feet) more than eight miles southwest of Rajagaha City. In the basin between the peaks, he sat on the ground and swore: : I have used supernatural powers to prevent my body from breaking down, and I have covered it with dung sweeping clothes.After 6.7 billion years, when Maitreya is born into a Buddha, he will come here to visit, that is, to dedicate the mantle of Sakyamuni Buddha to him, and help him to educate all living beings.It is said that King Ajashi was very sad when he heard the news of Kasyapa's death, and he came here to pay his respects to his remains.The three peaks of chicken feet are naturally cracked and shaped like lotus flowers.King Ajashi saw that Kasyapa was in meditation, his body was covered with mandala flowers, and he was very solemn.After it withdrew, the mountain peaks closed naturally again.This story tells us: Kasyapa is an immortal figure who has gone through thousands of kalpas after the Buddha died.