Chapter 11 Chapter 9 The Buddha and His Retinue (continued)

My illness is the most profitable, contentment is the most profitable; Trust is the highest relative, Nirvana is the highest bliss. —— Dhamma Sutra Buddha and his half-brother Nanda (1) On the third day after the Buddha returned to Kapilavastu, Prince Nanda, the son of Mahapajapati Gotami, was holding a grand ceremony for the coronation, wedding and completion of the new house.During the three days of celebrating the sixth day, everyone congratulated the prince.Buddha also came to the palace.After the meal, the Buddha handed the rice bowl to Nanda, chanted blessings and chants, then stood up, did not take the rice bowl back, and walked away without saying a word.

The prince followed the Buddha all the way, thinking: The Buddha may take the bowl away at any time.But Buddha didn't do that.Out of respect for the Buddha, the prince continued to follow. When the prince's fiancée Janapadahariya heard that the prince was walking behind the Buddha with his bowl, she burst into tears, put down her half-combed hair, rushed out of the palace, chased Prince Nanda, and shouted Said: "Come back soon, noble prince." Such an affectionate cry deeply touched the prince's heart.However, out of respect for the Buddha, he could not forcibly return the rice bowl to the Buddha.In this way, the prince followed the Buddha to the garden where he lived temporarily.Once there, the Buddha asked Nanda if he would like to become a monk.He is not only a fully enlightened Buddha, but also his elder brother. The prince respected him so deeply that although he was reluctant, he still reluctantly agreed to become a monk.

However, Bhikkhu Nanda couldn't enjoy any spiritual happiness due to becoming a monk. He was depressed all day long, with a sad face, and missed his bride all day long.He told other monks about his heart disease, saying: "Brother, I am very dissatisfied. Although I live a monk's life, I can't bear this kind of life anymore. I want to give up the Great Precepts, a low-level Layman life." When the Buddha heard about this, he asked Nanda if the legend was true. Nanda admitted his weakness, saying that it was his bride that he was worried about. The Buddha tried every means to guide him into the right way, and immediately manifested his supernatural powers, took him to Tushita Heaven, and showed him the beauties in the sky.

On the way, Nanda found a howling female monkey by the side of the road. The whole body was tied to a burning pillar in a sea of ​​fire, and her ears, nose and tail were all burned off.After arriving at the Heavenly Palace, the Buddha pointed to a group of celestial maidens and asked him: "Nanda, which one do you think is more beautiful and beautiful, your noble wife Janapadahaliya, or these fairies?" "My dear sir, Janapadakhaliya is like that howling monkey compared to these celestial maidens. Their beauty is incomparable." "Cheer up, Nanda, I promise, if you keep doing what I tell you, you will have them."

"If that's the case, I'm happy to live by holy deeds." Nanda said childlike. Hearing that Nanda practiced in order to obtain the beauty of heaven, all the monks laughed at him as a temporary employee.In the end, he was ashamed of this vulgar motive, and finally worked hard to practice diligently and attain Arhatship. Immediately, he came to see the Buddha and said: "Dear Sir, the World Honored One has promised me that I can get gods and humans. I will release your promise now." The Buddha replied: "Nanda, when you no longer cling to worldly things, when you When I am free from troubles, I release my promise to you."

He then recited a hymn: "Traveling through the muddy people, smashing the thorns of greed, getting rid of ignorance and ignorance, and not being moved by joy and sorrow." Some monks doubted whether he had really attained arhatship, and the Buddha explained it in the following verse: "Rain can't leak into a tight house, greed can't seep into a good house, and greed can't enter into a good house." (2) Nanda enjoyed the joy of liberation, praised his different teachers, and said: "The Buddha taught all living beings that the law is supreme and subtle, so I was saved from the mud pit of samsara and approached the shore of Nirvana."

In the "Elder's Verse" he has the following verse: Non-reflection on the Dharma, clinging to external appearances, overwhelmed by craving, restless and changeable.The Buddha of the Sun Clan, good at setting up all kinds of conveniences, I am correcting the Dharma and deeds, so that the mind is free from dust. Venerable Nanda is the most self-disciplined among his disciples. Buddha and Ananda Ananda is the cousin of Prince Siddhartha and the son of Amitabha, the younger brother of King Jingfan.His birth brought joy and joy to all his relatives, so everyone called him Ananda.

In the second year of the Buddha's founding of the Sangha, Ananda joined the Sangha together with other Sakyamuni noble princes Ananurud, Potilika, Bafu, Sibila and Devadatta.Not long afterward, after listening to Panama Tenisi's French, he attained the first fruit position.When the Buddha was 55 years old, Venerable Ananda became the Buddha's constant attendant. For the first 25 years after his enlightenment, the Buddha had no regular attendants.A few occasional waiters are not very competent, and their behavior does not deserve much praise.One day, the Buddha lived in the Gion Abode and said to the monks: "I am old now. When I say I want to go this way, some people want to go another way. Some people throw my mantle on the ground. Choose one who will live forever. Serve my disciples." (4)

Starting from Shariputra, every bhikkhu volunteered and was willing to work hard.However, the Buddha rejected their offer.But Ananda remained silent.Some monks went to persuade him to serve the Buddha, and he agreed, but made the following request: 1. The Buddha should not give him the cassock that he received as an offering. 2. The Buddha should not give him the food he was offered. 3. The Buddha should not allow him to live in the same incense room (5). 4. The Buddha should not take him to offer offerings every time. 5. The Buddha must go with him every time to offer offerings. 6. The Buddha will mercifully allow him to introduce all guests from afar.

7. The Buddha should be merciful and allow him to ask questions when he has any doubts. 8. The Buddha should mercifully repeat the scriptures he taught in his absence. The Buddha agreed to the four requirements and the four requirements.From then on, Ananda became the Buddha's favorite attendant for 25 years until the Buddha's parinirvana.Like a shadow, wherever the Buddha goes, he follows him.Take care of the Buddha's daily life with love and care.Whether it is day or night, he always does what his teacher tells him to do.According to records, at night, he always took a stick and a lamp handle to remind himself to stay awake, and went around the incense room nine times to protect the Buddha's sleep from being disturbed.

Ananda Bodhi Tree (6) The Ananda Bodhi Tree was planted by Ananda.When the Buddha was away, devout believers put the flowers and garlands they brought at the entrance of the incense room, and walked away happily.After hearing about this incident, I asked Venerable Ananda to ask whether there is a place for believers to pay homage to the Buddha when the Buddha goes out to teach the Dharma.Venerable Ananda came to the Buddha and asked, "How many ways are there to pray to the World Honored One?" "There are three, Ananda. Things related to the Buddha's body (7), things that the Buddha used, and remembering the Buddha." "World Honored One, can you build stupas during your lifetime?" (8) "No. This is not something that should be offered related to the Buddha's body, but something that should be established after the Buddha's Nirvana. Recalling the Buddha has no material basis, it is purely spiritual. But the Bodhi tree that the Buddha used to achieve enlightenment, regardless of Whether the Buddha passed away or not, it should be a thing of respect (cetiya)." "World Honored One, when you go out to teach the scriptures, there is no place for refuge in the huge Gion Abode, and people cannot find a place to respect. World Honored One, can I take a seed from the great Bodhi tree and transplant it into a Gituo The door of the Abode?" "Very well, Ananda, plant it, and it will be the same as my permanent residence at Jeta Vihara." Venerable Ananda talked about this matter to the Buddha's great lay disciples Hudu, Vesak and King Kusari, and asked Venerable Damu Jianlian to fetch the bodhi tree seed.The Venerable Mujianlian happily agreed, picked a seed that had fallen from the tree, and gave it to the Venerable Ananda. Venerable Ananda presented the seed to the king, who in turn gave it to Hudu.He dug a piece of fragrant soil, dug a hole, buried the seeds, and the tree that grew out of it was called the Ananda Bodhi tree (9). Ananda and women Ananda also advised the Buddha to accept women as monks.If it were not for his intervention, Mahapajapati would not have successfully become a bhikkhuni.Therefore, the bhikkhunis respected him very much, and they liked listening to his lectures very much. Once, he came to the Buddha and asked: "Lord, how should we treat women?" "Ananda, don't see them." "But what if we should see them?" "Ananda, don't talk to them." "My lord, what if they talk to us?" "Ananda, be alert." This is the general advice of the Buddha to monks.Therefore, they may be cautious when dealing with women. Because he has a superb memory, and he often follows the Buddha, and he has great karma to listen to the Buddha's lectures.Therefore, he was later designated as the guardian of the Dharma. Once a Brahmin asked him about the Dharma, and he replied: "I got 82,000 dharmas from the Buddha and 2,000 dharmas from other monks, making a total of 84,000 dharmas."(10) Among the disciples, the Buddha ranked him first in five aspects: erudition, memorization, prestige, determination, and good service. (11) Although he was an outstanding disciple and proficient in Buddhism, he was still in the position of learning until the Buddha's Nirvana.When the Buddha was about to pass away, he warned him: "You planted a field of blessings in the past, Ananda, and quickly get rid of your troubles." (12) After the Buddha's parinirvana, he attained arhatship because he was expected to attend the first assembly, which only arhats are entitled to.Therefore, he worked diligently and finally, on the night before the assembly, when he was about to lie down on the bed to rest, he attained Arhatship.According to records, he is the only disciple who attained enlightenment without sitting, sitting or lying down. (13) Venerable Ananda passed into Nirvana at the age of 120.According to the commentary to the Dhamma Sutra, the people on both sides of the Nilian Chan River had jointly made offerings to him, and the two sides went to war in order to possess his relics.He sat cross-legged in the sky over the middle of the river, and told the public that he hoped that his body would be divided into two parts and land on the two banks respectively.Then, he contemplated fire and went deep into meditation.Immediately, a ball of flame shot out from his body, and just as he had imagined, the relics were scattered on both banks. In the "Elder's Verse", there are several verses that he recited on various occasions.The following ode to you about his handsome appearance is very interesting: "Chu Chu Yan disguises herself, does not gather real pain, thinks carefully and deeply, it is neither long nor long-lasting." (14) Buddha and Mahapajapati Gotami Mahapajapati Gotami is the younger sister of King Tianarm, and her older sister is Mrs. Mahamaya.The two sisters married the King of Pure Rice.She gave birth to a boy and a girl named Nanda and Nanda, both of whom became monks later.After the death of Mrs. Maya, she adopted her sister's son, Prince Siddhartha, and handed over her own son, Nanda, to the court ladies to raise. Her family name is Gotami.The occupier once predicted that she would become the head of the crowd, so she was called Mahapajapati. When the Buddha returned to the palace for the second time, when he told his father the "Story of the Dharma Protector Jataka", she became the first holy fruit. After the death of King Jingfan, both Devadatta and Nanda became monks.She also decided to join the Sangha and make a living as a Buddhist.In order to resolve the dispute between the Sakya tribe and the Koli tribe due to the water of the Nilian Chan River, the Buddha once again came to Kapilavastu and lived in the Niguaru Garden.Mahapajapati came to see the Buddha and asked the Buddha to allow the woman to become a monk (15).She pleaded: "World Honored One, it would be great if women were allowed to become monks under the teachings and precepts of the Tathagata, and live by holy deeds." Without giving any reason, the Buddha flatly refused, saying: "Enough, Gotami, you don't ask women to do this." Mahapajapati repeated her request a second and third time, and the Buddha answered in the same way. After the Buddha lived in Kapilavastu for a period of time, he came to Vaisali and lived in the lecture hall of the great temple. The determined Pojapati Gotami was not discouraged by setbacks.She shaved her own hair, put on a yellow cassock, and surrounded by many Sakya women, went through countless hardships and hardships. She set out from Kapilavatthu and walked 150 miles to Vaisali.She stood outside the door of the lecture hall, her feet were swollen and her body was covered with mud.Venerable Ananda heard her cry and came to inquire.When he understood the reason for her sorrow, he came to the Buddha and said: "Look, Lord, Mahapajapati is standing outside, with bloated feet, covered with dust, and with a sad face. Please allow women to become monks, and let them live in holy deeds under the law and rules of the Lord. If you allow It is a good thing for women to become monks and live better than the holy deeds." "Ananda, enough, please don't say that women should be renounced," replied the Buddha. Ananda made a second and third request on their behalf, but the Buddha did not budge. Then Venerable Ananda changed his approach and asked the Buddha respectfully: "World Honored One, when women become monks in accordance with the Buddha's laws and disciplines, and live according to the Brahma, can they attain the fruit of stream-entry (Sotapanna), the fruit of one return (Sakadagami), the fruit of non-return (Anagami) and even the fruit of Arhat (Arahant). Buddha Answer that they may attain the holy fruition." Encouraged by this positive answer, Venerable Ananda further asked: "World Honored One, since they were able to attain the Holy Fruit, Mahapajapati Gotami once again showed great kindness to the World Honored One. As an aunt and nurse, she raised the World Honored One. After the death of the World Honored One's mother, she used her own milk Feed the World-Honored One. World-Honored One. Please allow women to become monks and let them live by holy conduct under the Lord’s laws and laws. If women are allowed to become monks and live by holy conduct, this is a good thing.” "Ananda, if Mahapajapati Gotami is willing to accept the eight respects, let her take this as a precept." The Buddha said, and finally Ananda's request gave way. Eight Respects (16): 1. Even bhikkhunis who have ordained for a hundred years should pay homage to the newly ordained (Upasampada) bhikkhu (17), stand up to greet them, show respect, and fulfill all due obligations. 2. Bhikkhuni should not live in peace (Vassa) where there is no bhikkhu. 3. Every half month, bhikkhunis should ask the bhikkhu sangha about the time of karma (Uposatha) (18) and ask the bhikkhu for enlightenment. 4. The bhikkhuni marriage ceremony (19) (Pavarana) should be held in the presence of bhikshus and bhikkhunis (ask the public if they have seen, heard or suspected mistakes). 5. According to the law of monks and nuns, they should not live together (Manatta) with bhikkhunis who violate the great precepts. (20) 6. Novices who have received the six precepts for two years should receive the great precepts from the bhikshu and the bhikkhuni sangha. 7. Bhikkhunis are not allowed to accuse monks. 8. Bhikkhuni should not advise sutras, but monks should advise bhikkhuni. They should respect and respect this precept throughout their lives. When Ananda conveyed these to Mahapajapati Gotami, she willingly followed these eight respects.Therefore, she immediately received the ordination. In creating the Bhikkhuni Sangha, the Buddha foresaw future influences.He said: "Ananda, if women are not allowed to become monks, and they are not allowed to live according to the Brahma behavior in the laws and disciplines proclaimed by the Tathagata, the pure conduct will last forever, and the holy law will last for a thousand years. Only because women are allowed to become monks, The pure conduct will not last long, but the sacred law will last only five hundred years." (21) Buddha continued: "Ananda, just as a family has many women but few men, the family is easily invaded by thieves. Similarly, no matter under what law or law a woman is allowed to become a monk and live in holy conduct, her net It won't be long." "Just as one person pre-built the dam of the reservoir so that the water would not overflow, similarly, I prescribe eight respects for the bhikkhunis so that they will not violate them in their lifetime." (22) Generally speaking, these comments may not cater to women's tastes, but the Buddha certainly did not blame women in general, but only pointed out their weaknesses in character. The Buddha reluctantly accepted women into the Sangha for several valid reasons.But it should be mentioned that in the history of the world, Buddha was the first to create a women's organization with complete precepts.Just as he designated Shariputra and the Venerable Makjanlian as the two major disciples of the bhikkhu sangha, he designated Kema and Uparauna as the two major disciples of the bhikkhuni sangha. One day, the bhikkhuni Mahapajapati Gotami came to the Buddha and asked the Buddha to teach the Dharma so that she could work hard alone and realize the holy fruit. Buddha said: "Godami, you should be so alert that everything leads to excitement instead of tranquility, arrogance instead of reverence, avarice instead of seldom desires, gregariousness instead of seclusion, laziness instead of diligence, insatiability instead of random gratification, Gotami, you It should be remembered thus: This is illegal and unlawful, and it is not the teaching of the Guru. But, Gotami, you should be alert thus: All that leads to tranquility and not excitement, respect and not arrogance, few desires and not greed, pleasure in seclusion and not gregariousness , Enthusiasm, not laziness, contentment, not complaint, Gotami, you should keep in mind thus: This is the Dhamma, this is the Vinaya, this is the teaching of the Guru." (23) Soon, she proved arhatship with truthful analysis wisdom (24) (Patisambhida). The Sakya women who were ordained together with her also attained Arhatship. Among the female disciples, Mahapajapati Gotami has the deepest qualifications and the richest experience. In the "Gatha of the Elder Nun", there are several verses she recited after she attained Arhatship. [Note] (1) This incident is quoted from the Sanskrit poem of Venerable Ma Ming. "Miananda", translated into English by John Jones, Delhi, 1975. (Editor's Note) (2) "Dharma Sentence Sutra", verse 1314. (3) "Elder's Verse", verses 157 and 158, page 127. (4) "Jataka Stories", No. 456.English translation of "Jataka Stories", Part Four, p. 61. (5) Gandhakuti, the collective name of the Buddha's residence, specifically refers to the Buddha's abode built for loneliness. (Editor's note) (6) "Jataka Stories", Part IV, 479, p. 228; English translation of "Jataka Stories", Part IV, p. 142. (7) Such as the body relic of the Buddha. (8) The piled up mountain, also known as Stupa (Pali-Thupa), is a monumental building with Buddhist characteristics that is popular in South Asia. (Editor's note) (9) The oldest sacred tree still lives in Sawati, India. (10) "Elder's Verse", Verse 1424, p. 354. (11) "Additional Branch", p. 24.English translation of "Augmented Branches", Part I, p. 19. (12) "Changbu", Part Two, "Great Nirvana Sutra", page 72. (13) "Buddhist Legends", p. 160. (14) "Elder's Verse", page 353, verse 1020; "Dharma Sentence Sutra", verse 147. (15) "Vindaka", third volume, page 320; "Enhancing Branch", fourth volume, page 274. (16) Since these are questions related to precepts, some of them are not suitable for lay people. (17) Bhikkhu ring. (18) On the full moon day and the new moon day, monks gather together to recite and uphold the fundamental precepts. (19) THE OFFICIAL END OF THE ROSY SEASON. (20) A disciplined act. (21) See "Additional Branches", Chapter 4, p. 184. (22) See "Additional Branches", Chapter 4, p. 185. (23) "Vindaka", third volume, No. 329330, see "Zengzhibu", fourth volume, pages 186 and 187. (24) Analytical knowledge of meaning (attha), scripture (dhamma), etymological origin (nirutti), and understanding of these three (patibhana).