Chapter 10 Chapter Eight The Buddha and His Retinue

A person has parents, so he must be filial; he must learn the Tao.Helping the gods and avoiding suffering, and achieving inaction afterward, are all caused by compassion, filial piety, and learning the Tao. —— "Bodhisattva Sutra" King Jingfan is looking forward to seeing the Buddha I heard that the Buddha preached the scriptures in Rajgaha, and King Jingfan, who was sixty years old, longed to see his enlightened son.This feeling is getting stronger and stronger.Nine times in a row, he sent nine envoys, with many entourages, to the Buddha and returned to Kapilavastu.But each time it was beyond his expectation. After hearing the Dharma, these courtiers quietly left home, joined the Sangha, and obtained Arhatship.Just because the arhats looked down on the laws of the world, they didn't bring the old king's letter to the Buddha.

The helpless king was deeply disappointed, so the most loyal old courtier Shrudya called him.He was the buddha's childhood companion.He agreed to go to the Buddha, but there was a condition that the king must allow him to become a monk.The king granted his request. Like everyone else, Krudya had a deep insight, and after hearing the Dharma, he joined the Sangha and became an Arhat.However, unlike others, he conveyed King Jingfan's wishes to the Buddha and persuaded the Buddha to visit his octogenarian royal father.It was spring and suitable for traveling.In this way, accompanied by many disciples, the Buddha preached the scriptures all the way, calmly, stopping and going.Two months later, they finally came to Kapilavastu.

The Buddha was arranged to live in the garden of Sakyamuni.At this time, the arrogant Sakyan elders all thought: "The Buddha is our little brother, nephew or grandson." Then they said to the young princes: "You salute him, we Just sit behind you." They sat together without moving, let alone bowing to the Buddha.Immediately, the Buddha subdued their arrogance by ascending to the sky and manifesting the supernatural power of double luck(1).Seeing such unbelievable supernatural powers, the old king took the lead in bowing to the Buddha, saying that this was the third time he paid homage to the Buddha (2).Others also had to pay homage to the Buddha in turn.Immediately, the Buddha descended from the sky to the ground and sat on the seat that had been prepared. The humble Sakyans sat around all around, eager to hear the Buddha's teaching.

At this time, a burst of rain suddenly fell from the sky and sprinkled on everyone.This unusual auspicious appearance caused everyone to discuss it.The Buddha told them the "Story of Xu Dashu's Jataka" (3), explaining that the same thing happened in the previous life. After listening to the lecture, the Sakyamuni people were very happy.Then, they all said goodbye and went home, not knowing that it was their duty to invite the Buddha and his disciples to dinner. Even the king did not think of inviting the Buddha. He thought: "My son will not come to my palace, where will he go?" Therefore, as soon as he arrived at the palace, he ordered a rich meal to be prepared, and waited for the Buddha's arrival in the palace.

Buddha goes around the city to beg for food The next day, because no one had made an appointment for fasting, the Buddha and his disciples were ready to go begging from house to house along the streets and alleys.Before leaving, the Buddha thought this way: "When the Buddhas in the past entered the city of their relatives, did they go straight to their homes to receive offerings, or went from house to house to beg for food?" Later, he understood that the past Buddhas begged for food along the way.Therefore, the Buddha held his alms bowl all the way to the streets of Kapilavastu. When Yasodhara told the king that the Buddha's behavior was detrimental to the dignity of the royal family, he was very sad and disturbed. He hurriedly came to the Buddha, and after saluting, he couldn't wait to ask: "Son, why are you doing this here?" My face is smeared. It is a great humiliation for me as a father to see you begging in the street. You used to travel in a golden chariot, and now I am begging in the street. Does this make sense? Why do you Want to make a fool of me?"

"I am not trying to embarrass you. My lord, I am following my family tradition," Buddha replied.This shocked the king even more: "However, is it the tradition of my family to live by begging? World Honored One, our family is a descendant of Kshatriya, and no warrior has ever begged for food." "My lord, this is not the tradition of your king's family, but the tradition of my Buddha's family. All Buddhas live by begging." The Buddha stood on the street and persuaded the king like this: "Peter is happy to beg for food with righteous thoughts, to act righteously, and to do good deeds." (4)

Just after hearing this gatha, King Jingfan immediately saw the way and attained the first fruition.He hurriedly took the bowl from the Buddha, led the Buddha and his disciples to the palace compound, and offered them exquisite delicacies.After the meal, the Buddha once again warned everyone like this: "If you are not doing good deeds, don't do evil deeds. Such a sage, this Peter is happy." (5) The king immediately attained the second holy fruit (samadagami), and at the same time Mrs. Pojapati also realized the first holy fruit (sotapatti). On one occasion, the king told the Buddha that he had refused to believe the rumors that his son had died due to severe penance without attaining the fruition.The Buddha therefore spoke the "Jatakas of the Dharma Protector" (6).The Buddha said that in a previous life someone had shown him a pile of bones, but he still could not believe that his son was dead.This time, the third fruit (anagami) of the King of Pure Rice.When King Suddhodana was lying on the hospital bed at the end of his life, the Buddha told him the last Dharma, and he realized the arhatship, self-verified the joy of liberation.He passed away seven days later, when the Buddha was 40 years old.

Buddha and Yasodhara Princess Yasodhara is the mother of Rahula, also known as Pinba? Batakha.She is the daughter of the ruler of the Kolia race, the king of Tianarm City, and her mother is called Bamit, who is the younger sister of King Suddhodana.She was the same age as Prince Siddhartha and married him at the age of 16.At that time, Prince Siddhartha won her love with his superb martial arts.She enjoyed all the splendor and wealth in the palace, and lived a very happy life. At the age of 29, on the day she gave birth to her only son, Rahula, her husband, whom she loved wholeheartedly but who liked to think deeply, resolutely ran away from home in search of the truth to relieve the suffering of life.In the dead of night, he did not say goodbye to his loyal and beautiful princess, and left the palace quietly, leaving the aged Yasodhara alone to raise the child.The next morning, after she got up as usual, she went to say good morning to her beloved husband, but she was stunned when her husband disappeared.When she realized that the prince of her dreams had left her and the newborn baby, she was suddenly tormented by a wave of heart-wrenching pain.She has lost the person she loves most forever, the charming palace compound has become hell in her eyes, the whole world is empty, and the only thing that can give her a little comfort is her young son.

Several Kshatriya kings proposed to her, but she refused them all.She has always loved her husband faithfully, and she only lives for him.Hearing that her husband lived by hard work, she took off all her jewelry and put on simple yellow clothes.During the six years of the ascetic monk Gautama's hard work and the days and nights when he attained Bodhi, Princess Yasodhara cared about everything about him all the time, and she followed suit. After enlightenment, the Buddha traveled to Kapilavatthu, and the next day, at the invitation of the king, he came to the palace. Everyone else came to worship the Buddha, but Yasodhara did not come. She thought:

"If I still have a little bit of merit and karma, the noble Buddha will definitely come to see me in person, and then I will salute to him." After the meal, the Buddha handed over the bowl to King Jingfan, and accompanied by two disciples, he went to Yasodhara's bedroom.Sitting on the mat that had been prepared, the Buddha said: "Let the king's daughter bow to me as she wishes, and don't say anything." Hearing that the Buddha was coming, she ordered the ladies of the court to dress her in a yellow robe.Just as the Buddha sat down, she ran up to him like flying, grabbed his feet tightly, pressed her face against the instep of his feet, and respectfully worshiped the Buddha.

Thus expressing her devotion and respect for the Buddha, Yasodhara sat down politely to one side.The king kept praising her goodness and her loyalty to love, and then said: "World Honored One, no, she heard that you were wearing a yellow cassock, and she also wore yellow clothes. When she heard that you had one meal a day, she, like you, only ate one meal a day; She also sleeps in a low bunk; when she hears that you don't adorn yourself with garlands and spices, she gives up all your adornments; and when her natal family sends for her, she doesn't even look at them. I Your daughter-in-law is really virtuous." "Your Majesty, not only in this life, she has protected me and loved me so sincerely in previous lives." Then, the Buddha narrated "The Story of Yuekinara Jataka" (7). The Buddha recalled how they depended on each other in their previous lives, comforted her greatly, and then left the palace. After the death of King Jingfan, Mrs. Pojapati became a monk, and Yasodhara also joined the Sangha and obtained Arhatship. Among the female disciples, she had great supernatural powers (8) and passed away at the age of 78. Her name did not appear in the "Elder Nun's Verse", but many of her poems and verses were found in "Paragraph" (9). Buddha and Rahula Rahula was the only son of Siddhartha and Yashodha.On the day of his birth, Prince Siddhartha decided to become a monk.At that time the prince was thinking deeply in the garden.When he heard the news of the birth of the little prince, he was not as excited and excited as most people expected, but he sighed loudly: "Raluohu was born, and the shackles appeared-rahujato, bandhanam jatam." The rice king named the baby Rahula (10). Rahula left his father when he was young and was raised by his mother and grandfather.At the age of seven, the Buddha returned to Kapilavastu for the first time after his enlightenment.On the seventh day of his arrival, Yasodhara adorned the young Rahula, pointed to the Buddha, and said to him, "Look, son, that one has a golden face, looks like Brahma, twenty thousand The monk surrounded by the monks is your father. He has great wealth. But since he became a monk, we have not seen such gold and silver treasures. Go and ask him for your hereditary property and say to him: 'Father, I am a prince who will inherit the throne and become the Holy Wheel-Turning King. I need wealth, please give it to me. The son should be the owner of the father's property.'” The innocent Rahula came to the Buddha, as his mother had commanded, to claim his inheritance, and said emotionally: "Cultivator, your presence also makes me happy." After the meal, the Buddha left the palace, and Rahula followed closely behind, constantly saying, "Please give me my inheritance." No one tried to stop him, and the Buddha didn't tell him not to follow. She, the Buddha thought to himself: "Rahula wants his father's property, which is in line with the world, and there will be many troubles. I will give him the seven treasures I obtained under the bodhi tree, and make him the owner of the dharma of transcendence." He called Shariputra to his eyes and asked him to ordain Rahula and become a monk. In this way, Rahula joined the Sangha at the age of seven. King Suddhodana never thought that his grandson, whom he loved so much as the jewel in his palm, would become a monk.When he heard the news, he was very sad, and hurried to see the Buddha, and humbly begged the Buddha not to let the child who did not get the consent of his parents become a monk, and he said sincerely: "When you became a monk, I lost my son in old age. In the same way, Nanda’s renunciation and Rahula’s renunciation made me miserable. A father’s love for his children is truly unforgettable. Noble World Honored One, please promise that without the consent of the parents, please do not allow your son to become a renunciate. "(11) The Buddha readily agreed to his request and made this a precept. How can a seven-year-old child live by holy deeds?It seems unimaginable.However, the little novice Rahula is different. He is well-educated, good at teaching, obeys the precepts, and is willing to accept the advice of his elders.According to records, he insisted on getting up early every day, grabbed a handful of sand and evacuated it to the sky, and said in his mouth: "Today, I hope I can get as many advice and teachings as sand grains from my teacher." "Cloud Sutra" (12) (Amalatthikarahulovadasutta), the Buddha said to him when he just became a monk.This sutra emphasizes the importance of honesty. One day, the Buddha came to visit Rahula.When he saw the Buddha coming from a distance, he prepared his seat and brought water for washing his feet.After the Buddha finished washing, he left a little water in the basin and said, "Rahula, have you seen any of the water left in the basin?" "I see, World Honored One." "In the same way, those monks who are not ashamed of telling lies will have no meaning in their renunciation." Then the Buddha poured out the remaining water and said: "The monks are not ashamed to lie on purpose, their monk qualifications will be abandoned like this." The Buddha turned the basin over again and said: "The monks are not ashamed to deliberately lie, and their tenant qualifications will be cancelled." Finally, the Buddha turned the basin upside down and put it in place, saying: "Monks are not ashamed of deliberate lying, they are empty and empty. Those who are not ashamed of lying will never do evil. Therefore, Rahula, you should train yourself not to tell lies even when you are playing." The Buddha emphasized the importance of honesty with this simple example, and then instilled in him the value of self-reflection and moral standards. "Rahula, what is the mirror for?" asked the Buddha. "World Honored One, it is used to reflect oneself." "Similarly, Rahula, you should do a lot of self-reflection before doing body, speech, and mind actions. No matter what body action you do, you should think this way: this body action will harm yourself, harm others, and even harm yourself and others. Karma is unwholesome and causes suffering. If you realize that this body karma will harm yourself, harm others, and even harm yourself and others, this body karma is akusala and cause suffering, and you must not do it recklessly." "On the other hand, think like this: This will be a body karma that will not cause harm to yourself, others, or even yourself and others. This is a good law that can make people happy and happy. You should do this body karma." The Buddha further admonished Rahula to reflect upon and after his work as follows: "When you are doing body karma, you should reflect like this: this body karma will bring harm to yourself, others, and yourself and others. This is unwholesome body karma, which will cause suffering; This is unwholesome kamma, which causes suffering, and you must stay away from it. If you think like this: the kamma you do will not bring disadvantage to yourself, others, or even yourself and others. This is good kamma, If you can make people happy, you should insist on doing more.” "If you think so, the karma you have done is not good, you should tell the truth to let your teacher, scholar, fellow practitioners and scholars know. After you have made such a confession, you should not do it again." The same applies to oral and mental karma. Whether a person is pure or not, it is very important to reflect constantly.The Buddha then went on to teach: "You should cultivate like this: always reflect on and purify body karma; always reflect on and purify speech karma; always reflect on and purify mind karma." There is a special chapter in the "Navigatoria" in which the Buddha explained to the young novice the impermanent nature of things. (13) Because Rahula was a child when he became a monk, the Buddha tried his best to teach him himself.Enlighten him to live in the right way.In the Sutras (14), the Buddha repeatedly advised him with the following verse: Abandon the five desires that are sweet and tempting, take faith as the foundation, and become a monk to end suffering; Away from the bustling crowd, I am happy to be alone, and have a decent meal. Without clothing, food, shelter, and transportation, I will never return to this world, Practicing heavy precepts restricts the five faculties. Always be mindful of your body, full of peace and happiness. Let go of things that confuse and cause greed. Keep your mind in one place, and your thoughts will be calm and clear, without turbid thoughts. Don't care about external dust, get rid of falsehood.So safe and correct. When Rahula was 18 years old, because of his handsome appearance, desire arose in his heart.For this reason, the Buddha explained to him how to practice a higher level of mind.One day, Rahula followed the Buddha and begged for food along the road. They were like an auspicious and noble swan leading a beautiful little swan, and like a mighty lion king leading his majestic swan. youngest son.Both were golden-faced, almost equally dignified, both came from the same family of warriors, and both had renounced the throne.While praising the Buddha, Rahula thought to himself: "I am as handsome as my father, and I am as dignified as the Buddha."(15) The Buddha immediately learned to perceive these unwholesome thoughts in his heart, looked back, and said to him: "No matter what appearance, you should contemplate like this, this is not what I am (n'etammama), this is not the self (n'eso'ham), this is not the self (na me so atta). (16)" Rahula asked the Buddha respectfully if he should think this way only about materiality, and the Buddha told him that he should think this way about the five aggregates. Rahula was so enlightened by the Buddha that he no longer had the heart to go to the village to beg for food.He turned around, came to a tree, and sat upright in cross-legged posture, restraining his mind and righteous thoughts. Shariputra didn't know that Rahula was practicing the meditation method taught by the Buddha. When he saw him sitting under a tree, he instructed him to practice breathing meditation.Rahula was confused.Because he received two different methods of meditation, one was taught by the Buddha and the other was taught by his own teacher.But he still obeyed his teacher, practiced breathing, and then came to see the Buddha, asking him to teach him how to practice breathing meditation.Like a doctor with profound wisdom, he ignores the patient's desire and administers medicine to the disease.The Buddha first expanded the meditation method he had used to focus on the five aggregates, and then briefly listed the various methods of meditation, explaining each special unwholesome method that was temporarily eliminated by it.Finally, he explained about breathing meditation (anapana sati). Rahula practiced meditation successfully in accordance with the method taught by the Buddha. After hearing the "Little Rahula Sutra" (17), he attained Arhatship. In the 14th year after Buddha's enlightenment, he received the great precepts of monks.He passed away before Buddha and Shariputra. Venerable Rahula is famous for his discipline.In Theragatha he has four verses: Auspicious Rahula, born with pure parents, the son of the enlightened Buddha, all afflictions are eliminated, there will be no offspring, and he is called the one who deserves offerings.Rich in the Three Saints, see the fruit of immortality.Greedy thoughts block views, entanglement in the net of desire, the body and mind are wrapped in the robe of love and desire, and righteous thoughts are covered by lax relatives, just like falling into the net of a bucket.Burn the greedy dust, cut off the demonic obstacles, eradicate the root of desire, and now prove peace and tranquility. (18) [Note] (1) Yamakapatihariya is often interpreted as a dual-luck supernatural power that only the Buddha can manifest. With his supernatural power, he can emit fire and water from his pores at the same time. The commentary to "Wuyi Jiedao" says that fire and water refer to red and blue. (2) The first time he saluted happened when the Venerable Ashita asked the little prince to bow, and the little prince's feet stretched out on the Venerable's head.His second time happened in Wang Geng Da Ceremony, when he found the little prince Jiafu sitting on the bed, deeply meditating. (3) See "Jataka Stories", No. 547, No. 479; Commentary on "Dharma Ghat Sutra", third chapter, p. 163164.This is one of the longest and most interesting stories in the commentaries on the Jatakas, reflecting his incomparable goodness. (4) Dharma Sentence Sutra.Verse 168. (5) Same as above. 169 gatha. (6) "Jataka Stories", No. 447. (7) Translation of "Jataka Stories", Volume Four, 485, p. 179. (8) The commentary to the "Zengzhi Department" says: "Only four Buddhist disciples have this great supernatural power. Others can only recall no more than one hundred thousand kalpas. But those with great supernatural powers can recall countless asangji kalpas. In our Among the monks of the deity, the two major disciples, and the elders Bakuluo and Badahachena have this great supernatural power. The English translation of "Zengzhibu". Chapter 1, p. 22." (9) PAGE 584590.Here she tells about the relationship between the Buddha and the Bodhisattva when the Buddha met the ancient Buddha who made a vow to become a Buddha. (10) The original intention is to be bound by Jiasuo. (11) "Buddhist Legends", Volume 1, p. 219. (12) "The Middle Part", Part Two, page 11; "Grace", page 173. (13) "Responsive Ministry", Part Two, p. 224253; English translation of "Responsive Ministry", Part Two, pp. 164-168. (14) "Sutras", second volume, "Rahula Sutra"; "The Teachings of the Buddha", Chalmers, p. 81. (15) "The Middle", the second book; "Grace", page 182. (16) "All Burning Sutras", see Chapter Six. (17) "Central", the third product. (18) "Elder's Verse", verses 297 and 298, page 183.