Dialogues of the Buddha (Digha Nikaya)

the aeon for the good and the happiness of the great multitudes, out of pity for the world, for the good and the gain and the weal of gods and men." If thou shouldst then have so besought the Tathagata, the Tathagata might have rejected the appeal even to the second time, but the third time he would have granted it. Thine, therefore, O Ananda, is the fault, thine is the offence ! 46. [lis] ' On one occasion, Ananda, I was dwelling here at Vesali at the Gotamaka Shrine — on one occasion here at Vesali at the Shrine of the Seven Mangoes — on one occasion here at Vesali at the Bahuputta Shrine — on one occasion here at Vesali at the Sarandada Shrine [and on each occasion I spoke to thee, Ananda, in the same words]. 47. ' And now to-day, Ananda, at the Chapala Shrine, Ia spoke to thee, and said :• — " How delightful a spot, Ananda, is Vesali, how charming the Udena Shrine, and the Gotamaka Shrine and the Shrine of the Seven Mangoes, and the Shrine of Many Sons, and the Sarandada Shrine, and the Chapala Shrine. Whosoever, Ananda, has developed, practised, dwelt on, expanded, and ascended to the very heights of the four paths to Iddhi, and so mastered them as to be able to use them as a vehicle and as a basis, he, should he desire it, could remain in the same birth for an aeon or for that portion of the aeon which had yet to run. Now the Tathagata has thoroughly practised and developed them [in all respects as just more fully described], and he could, therefore, should he desire it, live on yet for an aeon, or for that portion of the aeon which has yet to run." But even when a suggestion so evident and a hint so clear were thus given thee, Ananda, by the Tathagata, thou wast yet incapable of comprehending them, and thou besoughtest not the Tathagata, saying : — " Vouchsafe, lord, to remain during

126 XVI. MAHA PARINIBBANA SUTTANTA. D. ii. 118. the aeon. Live on, O Exalted One ! through the aeon for the good and the happiness of the great multitudes, out of pity for the world, for the good and the gain and the weal of gods and men." If thou shouldst then have so besought the Tathagata, the Tathagata might have rejected the appeal even to the second time, but the third time he would have granted it. Thine, therefore, O Ananda, is the fault, thine is the offence ! ' 48. ' But now, Ananda, have I not formerly declared to you that it is in the very nature of all things, near and dear unto us, that we must divide ourselves from them, leave them, sever ourselves from them ? How, then, Ananda, can this be possible — whereas anything whatever born, brought into being, and organized, contains within itself the inherent necessity of dissolution— how then can this be possible that such a being should not be dissolved ? No such condition can exist ! And that which, Ananda, has been relinquished, cast away, renounced, rejected, and abandoned by the Tathagata — the remaining sum of life surrendered by him — verily with regard to that the word has gone forth from the Tathagata, saying : — " The passing away of the Tathagata shall take place before long. [ll9] At the end of three months from this time .the Tathagata will die ! " That the Tathagata for the sake of living should repent him again of that saying — this can no wise be ! J

' Come, Ananda, let us go to the Ku/agara Hall, to the Mahavana.' 1 I do not understand the connexion of ideas between this paragraph and the idea repeated with such tedious iteration in the preceding paragraphs. The two seem to be in marked contrast, if not in absolute contradiction. Perhaps we have here the older tradition ; and certainly this paragraph is more in accordance with the general impression of the character, and with the other sayings, of Gotama as handed down in the Pali Pi/akas. D. ii. ii(j. THE BOOK OF THE GREAT DECEASE. \2"] ' Even so, lord ! ' said the venerable Ananda, in assent, to the Exalted One. 49. Then the Exalted One proceeded, and Ananda with him, to the Mahavana, to the Ku/agara Hall : and when he had arrived there he addressed the venerable Ananda, and said : — ' Go now, Ananda, and assemble in the Service Hall such of the brethren as reside in the neighbourhood of Vesali.' ' Even so, lord ! ' said the venerable Ananda, in assent, to the Exalted One. And when he had assembled in the Service Hall such of the brethren as resided in the neighbourhood of Vesali, he went to the Exalted One and saluted him and stood beside him. And standing beside him, he addressed the Exalted One, and said : —

' Lord ! the assembly of the brethren has met together. Let the Exalted One do even as seemeth to him fit.' 50. Then the Exalted One proceeded to the Service Hall, and sat down there on the mat spread out for him. And when he was seated the Exalted One addressed the brethren, and said : — ' Therefore, O brethren — ye to whom the truths I have perceived have been made known by me — having thoroughly made yourselves masters of them, practise them, meditate upon them, and spread them abroad ; in order that pure religion may last long and be perpetuated, in order that it may continue to be for the good and happiness of the great multitudes, out of pity for the world, to the good and the gain and the weal of gods and men ! 'Which then, O brethren, are the truths which, when I had perceived, I made known to you, which when you have mastered it behoves you to practise, meditate upon, and spread abroad, in order that pure religion may last long and be perpetuated, in order that it may continue to be for the good and the happiness of the great multitudes, out of pity for the world, to the good and the gain and the weal of gods and men?

128 XVI. MAHA PARINIBBANA SUTTAKTA. D. ii. 120. [120] ' They are these : — The four earnest meditations, The fourfold great struggle against evil, The four roads to saintship, The five' moral powers, The five organs of spiritual sense. The seven kinds of wisdom, and The Aryan eightfold path. These, O brethren, are the truths which, when I had perceived, I made known to you, which when you have mastered it behoves you to practise, meditate upon, and spread abroad, in order that pure religion may last long and be perpetuated, in order that it may continue to be for the good and the happiness of the great multitudes, out of pity for the world, to the good and the gain and the weal of gods and men ! ' 51. And the Exalted One exhorted the brethren, and said : — ' Behold now, O brethren, I exhort you, saying : — " All component things must grow old. Work out your salvation with diligence. The final extinction of the Tathagata will take place before long. At the end of three months from this time the Tathagata will die ! " ' My age is now full ripe, my life draws to its close : I leave you, I depart, relying on myself alone ! Be earnest then, O brethren, holy, full of thought ! Be steadfast in resolve ! Keep watch o'er your own hearts !

. Who wearies not, but holds fast to this truth and Shall cross this sea of life, shall make an end of grief.' End of the Third Portion for Recitation2. 1 Dhamraa and vinaya. The Buddhist religion, as just summarized, and the regulations of the Order. 2 It is of great interest to notice what are the points upon which Gotama, in this last address to his disciples, and at the solemn time, D. ii. 120. THE BOOK OF THE GREAT DECEASE. 1 29 when death was so near at hand, is reported to have lain such emphatic stress. Unfortunately we have only a fragment of the address, and, as it would seem from its commencement, only the closing fragment. This, however, is in the form of a summary, consisting of an enumeration of certain aggregates, the details of which must have been as familiar to the early Buddhists as the details of similar numerical terms — such as the ten commandments, the twelve tribes, the seven deadly sins, the four gospels, and so on — afterwards were to the Christians. This summary of the Buddha's last address may fairly be taken as a summary of Buddhism, which thus appears to be simply a system of earnest self-culture and self-control.

The following are the details of the aggregate technical terms used in the above summary, but it will be understood that the English equivalents used give rather a general than an exact representation of the ideas expressed by the Pali ones. To attempt more would demand a treatise rather than a note. The four Earnest Meditations are : — 1. Meditation on the body. 2. Meditation on the sensations. 3. Meditation on the ideas. 4. Meditation on reason and character. The fourfold Great Struggle against evil is divided into : — 1. The struggle to prevent evil arising. 2. The struggle to put away evil states which have arisen. 3. The struggle to produce goodness not previously existing. 4. The struggle to increase goodness when it does exist. The four Roads to Saintship are four means by which Iddhi (see above, § 3, note) is to be acquired. They are : — 1. The will to acquire it united to earnest meditation and the struggle against evil. 2. The necessary exertion united to earnest meditation and the struggle against evil. 3. The necessary preparation of the heart united to earnest meditation and the struggle against evil. 4. Investigation united to earnest meditation and the struggle against evil.

The five moral powers (balani) are said to be the same as the next class, called organs (indriyani). It is no doubt most remarkable that, in a summary like this, two classes out of seven should be absolutely identical except in name. The difference of name is altogether too unimportant to account, by itself, for the distinction made. Either the currently accepted explanation of one of the two aggregate terms must be incorrect, or we must look for some explanation of the repetition other than the mere desire to record the double title. Is it impossible that the one class was split into two to bring the number of the classes up to the sacred number seven, corresponding to the seven Ratanas of a Cakkavatti ? 1 30 XVI. MAHA PARINIBBANA SUTTANTA. D. ii. 120. The details of both classes are : — 1. Faith. 2. Energy. 3. Thought. 4. Contemplation. 5. Wisdom. The seven kinds of Wisdom are : — 1. Energy. 2. Thought. 3. Contemplation. 4. Investigation (of Scripture). 5. Joy. 6. Repose. 7. Serenity. The Aryan Eightfold Path consists of: — 1. Right views. 2. High aims. 3. Right speech. 4. Upright conduct. 5. A harmless livelihood. 6. Perseverance in well-doing. 7„ Intellectual activity. 8. Right rapture.

i. [122] Now the Exalted One early in the morning robed himself, and taking his bowl, entered Vesali for alms ; and when he had passed through Vesali, and had eaten his meal and was returning from his almsseeking he gazed at Vesali with an elephant look 1 and addressed the venerableA Ananda, and said : — ' This will be the last time, Ananda, that the Tathagata will behold Vesali. Come, Ananda, let us go on to Bha;^a-eama.' ' Even so, lord ! ' said the venerable Ananda, in assent, to the Exalted One. And the Exalted One proceeded with a great company of the brethren to Bha/^a-gama ; and there the Exalted One stayed in the village itself. 2. There the Exalted One addressed the brethren, and said : — ' It is through not understanding and grasping four truths 2, O brethren, that we have had to run so long, to wander so long in this weary path of transmigration — both you and I. ' And what are these four ? The noble conduct of life, the noble earnestness in meditation, the noble kind of wisdom, and the noble salvation of freedom. [123] But when noble conduct is realized and known, when noble meditation is realized and known, when noble wisdom is realized and known, when noble freedom is realized and known — then is the craving for future life rooted out, that which leads to renewed existence is destroyed, and there is no more birth.'

1 Nagapalokitaw Vesaliyaw apaloketva. The Buddhas were accustomed, says Buddhaghosa, on looking backwards to turn the whole body round as an elephant does ; because the bones in their neck were firmly fixed, more so than those of ordinary men ! 2 Or Conditions (Dhamma). They must, of course, be carefully distinguished from the better known Four Noble Truths above, p. 96. 132 XVI. MAHA PARINIBBANA SUTTANTA. D. ii. 123. 3. Thus spake the Exalted One ; and when the Happy One had thus spoken, then again the Teacher said l : — ' Righteousness, earnest thought, wisdom, and freedom sublime — These are the truths realized by Gotama, farrenowned. Knowing them, he, the knower, proclaimed the truth to the brethren. The master with eye divine, the quencher of griefs, is at peace V 4. There too, while staying at Bha^rta-gama, the Exalted One held that comprehensive religious talk with the brethren, saying : — ' Such and such is upright conduct ; such and such is earnest contemplation ; such and such is intelligence. Great becomes the fruit, great the advantage of earnest contemplation, when it is set round with upright conduct. Great becomes the fruit, great the advantage of intellect when it is set round with earnest contemplation. The

1 This is merely a stock phrase for introducing verses which repeat the idea of the preceding phrase (see above, paragraph 32). It is an instructive sign of the state of mind in which such records are put together, that these verses could be ascribed to Gotama himself without any feeling of the incongruity involved. 2 The last word, Parinibbuto, was misunderstood by Childers. \ It is used in the Nikayas of living persons in the sense of set free (from evil), at peace. In one passage (M. I, 446) it is even used of a living horse. In all of these passages Childers's rendering 'extinguished, extinct, dead ' would be quite inexplicable. Such passages are Majjhima I, 45, 235, 251 ; II, 102 ; Thera-gatha 5, 7, 8, 9, &c. ; Sutta Nipata 359, 758; Sarayutta III, 26, 54; Itivuttaka 52, 56; Dhammapada 89. The same usage is still found in later books (Milinda 50 ; Jataka IV, 303, 453). But, just as in the somewhat analogous Christian expression entered into rest, the word (still in its ordinary meaning as above) is once or twice used, figuratively, of Arahants who have died. They are at peace, set free. There is no word in the Buddhist phrase corresponding to the Christian ' entered.' The Buddhists never say entered into Nirvana of a deceased person. So far as I know the phrase occurs only once (Sutta Nipata 514), and then it is used of a living person.

D. ii. 124. THE BOOK OF THE GREAT DECEASK. I 33 mind set round with intelligence is set quite free from the Intoxications, that is to say, from the Intoxication of Sensuality, from the Intoxication of Becoming, from the Intoxication of Delusion, from the Intoxication of Ignorance.' 5, 6. Now when the Exalted One had remained at Bha/^a-gama as long- as he desired, he addressed the venerable Ananda, and said : — ' Come, Ananda, let us go to Hatthi-gama.' [Then in similar words, end of § i and §§2, 3, and 4 repeated, it is related how the Buddha went there, and then on to Amba-gama, and then on to Jambugama, at each place holding similar discourses ; and then went on to Bhoga-nagara.] 7. Now there at Bhoga-nagara the Exalted One stayed at the Ananda Shrine. There the Exalted One addressed the brethren and said : — ' I will teach you, O brethren, these four Great Authorities \ Listen thereto, and give good heed, and I will speak.' [124] ' Even so, lord ! ' said the brethren, in assent 2, to the Exalted One, and the Exalted One spoke as follows : — 8. 'In the first place, brethren, a brother may say thus : — " From the mouth of the Exalted One himself

1 The meaning of mahapadesa is not quite clear. Perhaps it should be rendered ' true authorities.' I have followed Buddhaghosa in taking apadesa as the last part of the compound. He says: — mahapadesa ti maha-okase maha-apadese va. Buddhadayo mahante mahante apadisitva vuttani mahakara;/ani ti attho, ' the causes (authorities) alleged when referring to Buddha and other great men.' Mr. Samarasekara takes it as maha-padesa. 2 I ought perhaps to have explained why I have ventured to differ from Childers in the rendering of the common word patisuwati. The root sru seems to have meant 'to sound' before it meant 'to hear'; and, whether this be so or not, pati-suwati means not simply ' to consent,' but ' to answer (assentingly).' It has been pointed out to me that answer was formerly andstverian where swerian is probably not unrelated to the root svar, 'to sound.' 134 XVL MAHA PARINIBBANA SUTTANTA. D. ii. 124. have I heard, from his own mouth have I received it. This is the truth, this the law, this the teaching of the Master." The word spoken, brethren, by that brother should neither be received with praise nor treated with scorn. Without praise and without scorn every word and syllable should be carefully understood and then put beside the Suttas [the stock paragraphs learnt by heart in the community] and compared with the Vinaya [the rules of the Order]1. If when so compared they do not harmonize with the Suttas, and do not fit in with the rules of the Order, then you may come to the conclusion : — " Verily, this is not the word of the Exalted One, and has been wrongly grasped by that brother." Therefore, brethren, you should reject it. But if they harmonize with the Suttas and fit in with the rules of the Order, then you may come to the conclusion : — " Verily, this is the word of the Exalted One, and has been well grasped by that brother." This, brethren, you should receive as the first Great Authority.

9. ' Again, brethren, a brother may say thus : — " In such and such a dwelling-place there is a company of the brethren with their elders and leaders. From the mouth of that company have I heard, face to face have I received it. This is the truth, this the law, this the teaching of the Master." The word spoken, brethren, by that brother should neither be received with praise nor treated with scorn. Without praise and without scorn every word and syllable should be carefully understood, and then put beside the Suttas and compared with the rules of the Order. If when so compared they do not harmonize with the Suttas, and do not fit in with the rules of the Order, then you may come to the conclusion : — " Verily, this is not the word of the Exalted One, and has been wrongly grasped by that company of the brethren." Therefore, brethren, you should reject it. But if they harmonize 1 Sutte otaretabbani vinaye sandassetabbani, where one would expect to find the word Pi/aka if it had been in use when this passage was first written or composed. D. ii. 125. THE BOOK OF THE GREAT DECEASE. I35

with the Suttas and fit in with the rules of the Order, then you may come to the conclusion : — [125] " Verily, this is the word of the Exalted One, and has been well grasped by that company of the brethren." This, brethren, you should receive as the second Great Authority. 10. ' Again, brethren, a brother may say thus : — " In such and such a dwelling-place there are dwelling many elders of the Order, deeply read, holding the faith as handed down by tradition, versed in the truths, versed in the regulations of the Order, versed in the summaries of the doctrines and the law. From the mouth of those elders have I heard, from their mouth have I received it. This is the truth, this the law, this the teaching of the Master." The word spoken, brethren, by that brother should neither be received with praise nor treated with scorn. Without praise and without scorn every word and syllable should be carefully understood, and then put beside the Suttas and compared with the rules of the Order. If when so compared they do not harmonize with the Suttas and do not fit in with the rules of the Order, then you may come to the conclusion : — " Verily, this is not the word of the Exalted One, and has been wrongly grasped by those elders." Therefore, brethren, you should reject it. But if they harmonize with the Suttas and fit in with the rules of the Order, then you may come to the conclusion : — " Verily, this is the word of the Exalted One, and has been well grasped by those elders." This, brethren, you should receive as the third Great Authority.

11.' Again, brethren, a brother may say : — " In such and such a dwelling-place there is there living a brother, deeply read, holding the faith as handed down by tradition, versed in the truths, versed in the regulations of the Order, versed in the summaries of the doctrines and the law. From the mouth of that elder have I heard, from his mouth have I received it. This is the truth, this the law, this the teaching of the Master." The word spoken, brethren, by that 136 XVI. MAHA PARINIBBANA SUTTANTA. D. ii. 125. brother should neither be received with praise nor treated with scorn. Without praise and without scorn every word and syllable should be carefully understood, and then put beside the Suttas and compared with the rules of the Order. If when so compared they do not harmonize with the Suttas, and do not fit in with the rules of the Order, then you may come to the conclusion : — " Verily, this is not the word of the Exalted One, and has been wrongly grasped by that brother." Therefore, brethren, you should reject it. But if they harmonize with the Suttas and fit in with the rules of the Order, then you may come to the conclusion : — [126] " Verily, this is the word of the Exalted One, and has been well grasped by that brother." This, brethren, you should receive as the fourth Great Authority. ' These, brethren, are the Four Great Authorities.'

12. There too, the Exalted One held that comprehensive religious talk with the brethren, saying : — ' Such and such is upright conduct ; such and such is earnest contemplation ; such and such is intelligence. Great becomes the fruit, great the advantage of earnest contemplation, when it is set round with upright conduct. Great becomes the fruit, great the advantage of intellect when it is set round with earnest contemplation. The mind set round with intelligence is set quite free from the Intoxications, that is to say, from the Intoxication of Sensuality, from the Intoxication of Becoming, from the Intoxication of Delusion, from the Intoxication of Ignorance.' 13. Now when the Exalted One had remained as long as heA desired at Bhoga-gama, heAaddressed the venerable Ananda, and said : — ' Come, Ananda, let us go on to Pava.' 'Even so, lord!' said the venerable Ananda, in assent to the Exalted One. And the Exalted One proceeded with a great company of the brethren to Pava. D. ii. 127. THE BOOK OF THE GREAT DECEASE. I 37 And there at Pava the Exalted One stayed at the Mango Grove of Chunda, who was by family a smith. 14. Now Chunda, the worker in metals, heard that the Exalted One had come to Pava, and was staying there in his Mango Grove.

And Chunda, the worker in metals, went to the place where the Exalted One was, and saluting him took his seat respectfully on one side. And when he was thus seated, the Exalted One instructed, aroused, incited, and gladdened him with religious discourse. 15. Then he, instructed, aroused, incited, and gladdened by the religious discourse, addressed the Exalted One, and said : — ' May the Exalted One do me the honour of taking his meal together with the brethren, at my house to-morrow ? ' And the Exalted One signified, by silence, his consent. 16. Then seeing that the Exalted One had consented, [127] Chunda, the worker in metals, rose from his seat and bowed down before the Exalted One, and keeping him on his right hand as he passed him, departed thence. 1 7. Now at the end of the night, Chunda, the worker in metals, made ready in his dwelling-place sweet rice and cakes, and a quantity of truffles *. And he 1 Sukara-maddava. See the note in my translation of the Milinda (1890), Vol. I, p. 244. Dr. Hoey informs me that the peasantry in these districts are still very fond of a bulbous root, a sort of truffle, found in the jungle, and called sukara-kanda. Mr. K. E. Neumann, in his translation of the Majjhima (1896), p. xx, has collected several similar instances of truffle-like roots, or edible plants, having such names. The Sinhalese translation of the Digha (London and Colombo, 1905), p. 796, simply repeats the Pali word. Buddhists do not attach much importance to the point. They have been mostly vegetarians, and are increasingly so. But their scheme of ethics works from within; and the Buddha expressly refused, in the case of Devadatta's schism, to lay down any hard and fast rule as to abstinence from flesh as food. It is perhaps of importance that the food prepared by Chunda and eaten by the Buddha is called Bhatta (below, § 21) : this is not used elsewhere of meat.

1^8 XVI. MAHA PARINIBBANA SUTTANTA. D. ii. i: announced the hour to the Exalted One, saying : — ' The hour, lord, has come, and the meal is ready.' 1 8. And the Exalted One robed himself early in the morning, and taking his bowl, went with the brethren to the dwelling-place of Chunda, the worker in metals. When he had come thither he seated himself on the seat prepared for him. And when he was seated he addressed Chunda, the worker in metals, and said : — ' As to the truffles you have made ready, serve me with them, Chunda : and as to the other food, the sweet rice and cakes, serve the brethren with it.' ' Even so, lord ! ' said Chunda, the worker in metals, in assent, to the Blessed One. And the truffles he had made ready he served to the Exalted One ; whilst the other food, the sweet rice and cakes, he served to the members of the Order. 19. Now the Exalted One addressed Chunda, the worker in metals, and said: — 'Whatever truffles, Chunda, are left over to thee, those bury in a hole. I see no one, Chunda, on earth nor in Mara's heaven, nor in Brahma's heaven, no one among Samaras and Brahmaz^as, among gods, and men, by whom, when he has eaten it, that food can be properly assimilated, save by a Tatha^ata.'

' Even so, lord ! ' said Chunda, the worker in metals, in assent, to the Exalted One. And whatever truffles remained over those he buried in a hole. And he went to the place where the Exalted One was ; and when he had come there, took his seat respectfully on one side. And when he was seated, the Exalted One instructed and aroused and incited and gladdened Chunda, the worker in metals, with religious discourse. And the Exalted One then rose from his seat and departed thence. 20. Now when the Exalted One had eaten the rice prepared by Chunda, the worker in metals, there fell upon him a dire sickness, the disease of dysentery, and sharp pain came upon him, even unto death. [12s] But the Exalted One, mindful and self-possessed, bore it without complaint. D. ii. 129. THE BOOK OF THE GREAT DECEASE. 139 And the Exalted One addressed the venerable Ananda, and said: — ' Come, Ananda, let us go on to^ Kusinara.' 'Even so, lord!' said the venerable Ananda, in assent, to the Exalted One. ' When he had eaten Chunda's food, The copper-smith's — thus have I heard — He bore with fortitude the pain, The sharp pain even unto death !

When he had eaten, from the truffles in the food There fell upon the teacher sickness dire, Then after nature was relieved the Exalted One announced and said : ' I now am going on to Kusinara1.' 21. Now the Exalted One went aside from the path to the foot of a certain tree; and when he had come there he addressed the venerable Ananda, and said : — ' Fold, I pray you, Ananda, the robe^ in four ; and spread it out for me. I am weary, Ananda, and must rest awhile ! ' ' Even so, lord ! ' said the venerable Ananda, in assent, to the Exalted One, and spread out the robe folded fourfold. 22. And the Exalted One seated himself on the seat prepared for him ; and when he was seated, he addressed the venerable Ananda, and said : — ' Fetch me, I pray you, Ananda, some water. I am thirsty, Ananda, and would drink.' When he had thus spoken, the venerable Ananda said to the Exalted One : — ' But just now, lord, about five hundred carts have eone over. That water stirred up by the wheels has become shallow and flows fouled and turbid. [129] This river Kaku/^a, lord, not far off, is clear and pleasant, cool and transparent, easy to

1 ' It should be understood,' says Buddhaghosa, ' that these are verses by the Theras who held the council.' And he repeats this at §§ 38, 41. These here seem to be two different versifications of the same legend. I40 XVI. MAHA PARINIBBANA SUTTANTA. D. ii. 129. get down into, and delightful. There the Exalted One may both drink the water, and cool his limbs.' 23. Again the second^ time the Exalted One addressed the venerable Ananda, and said : — ' Fetch me, I pray you, Ananda, some water. I am thirsty, Ananda, and would drink.' And again the second time the venerable Ananda said to the Exalted One : — ' But just now, lord, about five hundred carts have gone over. That water stirred up by the wheels has become shallow and flows fouled and turbid. This river Kaku///^a, lord, not far off, is clear and pleasant, cool and transparent, easy to get down into, and delightful. There the Exalted One may both drink the water, and cool his limbs/ 24. Again the third time the Exalted One addressed the venerable Ananda, and said : — ' Fetch me, I pray you, Ananda, some water. I am thirsty, Ananda, and would drink.'

' Even so, lord ! ' said the venerable Ananda, in assent, to the Exalted One : and taking a bowl he went down to the streamlet. And lo ! the streamlet which, stirred up by the wheels, was but just now become shallow, and was flowing - fouled and turbid, had begun, when the venerable Ananda came up to it, to flow clear and bright and free from all turbidity. 25. Then Ananda thought : — ' How wonderful, how marvellous is the great might and power of the Tathagata ! : For this streamlet which, stirred up by the wheels, was but just now become shallow and was flowing foul and turbid, now, as I come up to it, is flowing clear and bright and free from all turbidity.' And taking water in the bowl he returned towards the Exalted One ; and when he had come where the Exalted One was he said to him : — ' How wonderful, 1 This is a most unusual way of speaking of the Buddha. In the Suttantas believers are represented as addressing him as bhante, lord or sir (the same form as that used by junior members of the Order in addressing their seniors) ; and as speaking of him by the epithet BhagavS the Exalted One. Unbelievers address him as bho Gotama, and speak of him as the Sama;/a Gotama.

D.ii. 130. THE BOOK OF THE GREAT DECEASE. 141 how marvellous is the great might and power of the Tathagata ! For this streamlet which, stirred up by the wheels, was but just now become shallow and was flowing foul and turbid, now, as I come up to it, is flowing clear and bright and free from all turbidity. Let the Exalted One drink the water ! Let the Happy One drink the water ! ' Then the Exalted One drank of the water. 26. [i3o] Now at that time a man named Pukkusa l, a young Mallian, a disciple of A/ara Kalama's, was passing along the high road from Kusinara to Pava. And Pukkusa, the young Mallian, saw the Exalted One seated at the foot of a tree. On seeing him, he went up to the place where the Exalted One was, and when he had come there he saluted the Exalted One, and took his rest respectfully on one side. And when he was seated Pukkusa, the young Mallian, said to the Exalted One: — ' How wonderful a thing it is, lord! and how marvellous, that those who have gone forth out of the world should pass their time in a state of mind so calm !

27. 'Formerly, lord, A/ara Kalama was once walking along the high road ; and leaving the road he sat himself down under a certain tree to rest during the heat of the day. Now, lord, five hundred carts passed by one after the other, each close to A/ara Kalama. And a certain man, who was following close behind that caravan of carts, went up to the place where A/ara Kalama was, and when he was come there he spake as follows to A/ara Kalama : — ' " But, lord, did you see those five hundred carts goby?" ' " No, indeed, I saw them not." 1 The Pukkusas were one of the despised tribes. Compare M. II, 152; A. IL85; PP. IV, 19; Jar. IV, 205, 306; Lalita Vistara XXI, 17. But Buddhaghosa says Pukkusa must here be simply a name, as the Mallas were Khattiyas. He adds that this Pukkusa was the owner of the five hundred carts that had just passed by ; and that A/ara Kalama was called A/ara because he was Digha-pingalo, Kalama being his family name. 142 XVI. MAHA PARINIBBANA SUTTANTA. D. ii. 130. ' " But, lord, did you hear the sound of them ? "

' " No, indeed, sir, I heard not their sound." ' " But, lord, were you then asleep ? " ' " No, sir, I was not asleep." ' " But, lord, were you then conscious ? ' ' " Even so, sir." ' " So that you, lord, though you were both conscious and awake, neither saw, nor heard the sound of five hundred carts passing by, one after the other, and each close to you. Why, lord, even your robe was sprinkled over with the dust of them ! " ' ' " It is even so, sir." ' ' Then thought that man : — " How wonderful a thing is it, and how marvellous, that those who have gone forth out of the world should pass their time in a state of mind so calm ! [i3l] So much so that a man though being both conscious and awake, neither sees, nor hears the sound of five hundred carts passing by, one after the other, and each close to him." ' And after giving utterance to his deep faith in A/ara Kalama, he departed thence.' 28. ' Now what think you, Pukkusa, which is the more difficult thing either to do or to meet with — that a man, being conscious and awake, should neither see, nor hear the sound of five hundred carts passing by, one after the other, close to him, — or that a man, being conscious and awake, should neither see, nor hear the sound thereof when the falling rain goes on beating and splashing, and the lightnings are flashing forth, and the thunderbolts are crashing ? '

29. ' What in comparison, lord, can these five hundred carts do, or six or seven or eight or nine or ten hundred, yea, even hundreds and thousands of carts ? That certainly is more difficult, both to do and to meet with, that a man, being conscious and awake, should neither see, nor hear the sound thereof when the falling rain goes on beating and splashing, and the lightnings are flashing forth, and the thunderbolts are crashing.' 30. ' Now on one occasion, Pukkusa, I was dwelling D. ii. 132. THE BOOK OF THE GREAT DECEASE. 143 at Atuma, and was at the Threshing-floor. And at that time the falling rain began to beat and to splash, and the lightnings to flash forth, and the thunderbolts to crash ; and two peasants, brothers, and four oxen were killed. Then, Pukkusa,a great multitude of people went forth from Atuma, and went up to the place where the two peasants, brothers, and the four oxen, lay killed.' 31. 'Now at that time, Pukkusa, I had gone forth from the Threshing-floor, and was walking up and down thinking at the entrance to the Threshing-floor. And a certain man came, Pukkusa, out of that great multitude of people, up to the place where I was ; and when he came up he saluted me, and took his place respectfully on one side. And as he stood there, Pukkusa, I said to the man : —

32. '"Why then, sir, is this great multitude of people assembled together?'" [132] ' " But just now, the falling rain began to beat and to splash, and the lightnings to flash forth, and the thunderbolts to crash ; and two peasants, brothers, were killed, and four oxen. Therefore is this great multitude of people gathered together. But where, lord, were you ? " ' ' " I, sir, have been here all the while." 1 " But, lord, did you see it ? " ' " I, sir, saw nothing." ' " But, lord, did you hear it ? " ' " I, sir, heard nothing." ' " Were you then, lord, asleep ? " ' " I, sir, was not asleep." 1 "Were you then conscious, lord?" liven so, sir. ' " So that you, lord, being conscious and awake, neither saw, nor heard the sound thereof when the i falling rain went on beating and splashing, and the / lightnings were flashing forth, and the thunderbolts / were crashing." ' ' "That is so, sir." 33. 'Then, Pukkusa, the thought occurred to that man : — 144 XVI- MAHA PARINIBBANA SUTTANTA. D. ii. 132. ' " How wonderful a thing is it, and marvellous, that those who have gone forth out of the world should pass their time in a state of mind so calm ! — so that a man, being conscious and awake, neither sees, nor hears the sound thereof when the falling rain is beating and splashing, and the lightnings are flashing forth, and the thunderbolts are crashing." And after giving utterance to his deep faith in me, he departed from me [with the customary demonstrations of respect].'

34. And when he had thus spoken, Pukkusa, the young Mallian, addressed the Blessed One in these words : — ' Now I, lord, as to the faith that I had in A/ara Kalama, that I winnow away as in a mighty wind, and wash it away as in a swiftly running stream. Most excellent, lord, are the words of thy mouth, most excellent ! Just as if a man were to set up that which is thrown down, or were to reveal that which is hidden away, or were to point out the right road to him who has gone astray, or were to bring a lamp into the darkness, so that those who have eyes can see external forms — just even so, lord, has the truth been made known to me, in many a figure, by the Exalted One. [133] And I, even I, betake myself, lord, to the Exalted One as my refuge, to the Truth, and to the Brotherhood. May the Exalted One accept me as a disciple, as a true believer, from this day forth, as long as life endures ! : ' 35. Now Pukkusa, the young Mallian, addressed a certain man and said : — ' Fetch me, I pray you, my good man, a pair of robes of cloth of gold, burnished and ready for wear/

' So be it, sir ! ' said that man, in assent, to Pukkusa, the young Mallian ; and he brought a pair of robes of cloth of gold, burnished and ready for wear. 1 This is a stock phrase constituting the final answer of a hitherto unconverted man at the end of one of those argumentative dialogues bv which Gotama overcame opposition or expounded the truth. After a discussion of exalted themes it fits in very appropriately ; here and elsewhere it is incongruous and strained. See below, V, 50. D. ii. T.13- THE BOOK OF THE GREAT DECEASE. 1 45 And the Mallian Pukkusa presented the pair of robes of cloth of gold, burnished and ready for wear, to the Exalted One, saying : — ' Lord, this pair of robes of burnished cloth of gold is ready for wear. May the Exalted One show me favour and accept it at my hands ! ' 1 In that case, Pukkusa, robe me in one, and Ananda in one.' ' Even so, lord ! ' said Pukkusa, in assent, to the Exalted One ; and in one he robed the Exalted One, and in one, Ananda. -;6. Then the Exalted One instructed and aroused and incited and gladdened Pukkusa, the young Mallian, with religious discourse. And Pukkusa, the young Mallian, when he had been instructed and aroused and incited and gladdened by the Exalted One with religious discourse, arose from his seat, and bowed down before the Exalted One ; and keeping him on his right hand as he passed him, departed thence.

37. Now not long after the Mallian Pukkusa had gone, the venerable Ananda placed that pair of robes of cloth of gold, burnished and ready for wear, on the body of the Exalted One ; and when it was so placed on the body of the Exalted One it appeared to have lost its splendour a ! And the venerable Ananda said to the Exalted One: — ' How wonderful a thing is it, lord, and how marvellous, that the colour of the skin of the Exalted One should 1 To understand what is here represented to have happened one must understand the mode in which the Buddhist Wanderers wore their robes. There was no tailoring at all. The set of three robes was simply three lengths of cotton cloth about a yard wide. One piece, folded in half, was wrapped round the body. Another piece covered the limbs from the waist to the ankles. It was supported by a girdle and went three or four times round. The third piece was put on over this last, went twice round the legs, and then the rest of it was thrown over the left shoulder, and passed under the right arm across the body. See below, ch. V, § 19.

Pukkusa had placed the two lengths of cloth, shawl-wise, over the shoulders of the recipients. When he left them Ananda assisted the Buddha to put them on as Nos. 1 and 3 of a set of robes. I46 XVI. MAHA PARINIBBANA SUTTANTA. D. ii. 133. be so clear, so exceeding bright ! For when I placed even this pair of robes of burnished cloth of gold and ready for wear on the body [134] of the Exalted One, lo ! it seemed as if it had lost its splendour ! ' ' It is even so, Ananda. There are two occasions, Ananda, on which the colour of the skin of a Tathagata becomes clear and exceeding bright. What are the two ? ' On the night, Ananda, on which a Tathagata attains to the supreme and perfect insight, and on the night in which he passes finally away in that utter passing away which leaves nothing whatever to remain — on these two occasions the colour of the skin of the Tathagata becomes clear and exceeding bright. 38. ■ And now this day, Ananda, at the third watch of the night, in the Upavattana of Kusinara, in the Sala Grove of the Mallians, between the twin Sala trees, the utter passing away of the Tathagata will take place. Come, Ananda ! Let us go on to the river Kakuttha.'

' Even so, lord ! ' said the venerable Ananda, in assent, to the Exalted One. The pair of robes of cloth of gold, All burnished, Pukkusa had brought, Clad on with them the Master then Shone forth in colour like to gold * ! 39. Now the Exalted One with a great company of the brethren went on to the river Kakuttha ; and when he had come there, he went down into the water, and bathed, and drank. And coming up out again on the other side he went on to the Mango Grove. 1 We have here the commencement of the legend which afterwards grew into an account of an actual ' transfiguration ' of the Buddha. It is very curious that it should have taken place soon after the Buddha had announced to Ananda his approaching death, and that in the Buddhist Sutta it should be connected so closely with that event ; for a similar remark applies also to the Transfiguration mentioned in the Gospels. D. ii. 135. THE BOOK OF THE GREAT DECEASE. I47 And when he was come there he addressed the venerable Chundaka, and said : — ' Fold, I pray you, Chundaka, a robe in four and spread it out. I am weary, Chundaka, and would lie down.'

' Even so, lord ! ' said the venerable Chundaka, in assent, to the Exalted One. And he folded a robe in four, and spread it out. 40. And the Exalted One laid himself down on his right side, with one foot resting on the other ; and calm and self-possessed he meditated, intending to rise up again in due time. [135] And the venerable Chundaka seated himself there in front of the Exalted One. 41. The Buddha to Kakuttha's river came, Whose clear and pleasant waters limpid flow. He plunged beneath the stream wearied and worn. The Buddha without equal in the world ! When he had bathed and drunk, the teacher then Crossed o'er, the brethren thronging round his steps ; The Blessed Master, preaching the while the truth, The Mighty Sage came to the Mango Grove. There spake he to the brother Chundaka : — ' Spread me the fourfold robe out as a couch.' Urged by the Holy One, he quickly spread The fourfold robe in order on the ground. The Master laid him down, wearied and worn ; And there, before him, Chunda took his seat. 42. And the Exalted One addressed the venerable Ananda, and said : — ' Now it may happen, Ananda, that some one should stir up remorse in Chunda the smith, by saying : — " This is evil to thee, Chunda, and loss to thee in that when the Tathagata had eaten his last meal from thy provision, then he died." Any such remorse, Ananda, in Chunda the smith should be checked by saying: — "This is good to thee, Chunda, and gain to thee, in that when the Tathagata had eaten his last meal from thy provision, then he died. From the very mouth of the Exalted One, Chunda, have I heard,

I48 XVI. MAHA PARINIBBANA SUTTANTA. D. ii. 135. from his own mouth have I received this saying : — ' These two offerings of food are of equal fruit, and of equal profit, and of much greater fruit and much greater profit than any other — and which are the two ? [136] The offering of food which, when a Tathagata has eaten, he attains to supreme and perfect insight ; and the offering of food which, when a Tathagata has eaten, he passes away by that utter passing away in which nothing whatever remains behind — these two offerings of food are of equal fruit and of equal profit, and of much greater fruit and much greater profit than any others. There has been laid up by Chunda the smith a karma redounding to length of life, redounding to good birth, redounding to good fortune, redounding to good fame, redounding to the inheritance of heaven, and of sovereign power.' : In this way, Ananda, should be checked any remorse in Chunda the smith V 43. Then the Exalted One, perceiving how the matter stood, uttered on that occasion this hymn of exultation : — ' To him who gives shall virtue be increased ; In him who curbs himself, no anger can arise ; The righteous man casts off all evil ways, And by the rooting out of lust, and bitterness, And all infatuation, is at peace ! '

End of the Fourth Portion for Recitation, containing The Episode of A/ara. 1 Here, and above pp. 137-9, we have spelt the name of the smith, in English, as it is pronounced in Pali, and should be pronounced in English. i. [137] Now the Exalted One addressed the verier- able Ananda, and said : — ' Come, Ananda, let us go on to the Sala Grove of the Mallas, the Upavattana of Kusinara, on the further side of the river HiranyavatiY ' Even so, lord ! ' said the venerable Ananda, in assent, to the Exalted One. And the Exalted One proceeded with a great company of the brethren to the Sala Grove of the Mallas, the Upavattana of Kusinara, on the further side of the river Hiranyavati : and when he had come there he addressed the venerable Ananda, and said : — ' Spread over for me, I pray you, Ananda, the couch with its head to the^ north, between the twin Sala trees \ I am weary, Ananda, and would lie down.' ' Even so, lord ! ' said the venerable Ananda, in assent, to the Exalted One. And he spread a covering over the couch with its head to the north, between the twin Sala trees. And the Exalted One laid himself down on his right side, with one leg resting on the other ; and he was mindful and self-possessed.

2. Now at that time the twin Sala trees were all one mass of bloom with flowers out of season ; and 1 According to the commentator 'tradition says that there was a row of Sala trees at the head (sis'a) of that couch, and another at its foot, one young Sala 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) chieftain of the Mallas, and it was this couch which the Exalted One asked Ananda to make ready.' There is no further explanation of the term uttara-sisaka#z, 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. 1 50 XVI. MAHA PARINIBBANA SUTTANTA. D. ii. 137. all over the body of the Tathagata 1 these dropped and sprinkled and scattered themselves, out of reverence for the successor of the Buddhas of old. And heavenly Mandarava flowers, too, and heavenly sandalwood powder came falling from the sky, and all over the body of the Tathagata they descended and sprinkled [138] and scattered themselves, 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 !

3. Then the Exalted One addressed the venerable Ananda and said : — ' The twin Sala trees are all one mass of bloom with flowers out of season ; all over the body of the Tathagata these drop and sprinkle and scatter themselves, out of reverence for the successor of the Buddhas of old. And heavenly Mandarava flowers, too, and heavenly sandal-wood powder come falling from the sky, and all over the body of the Tathagata they descend and sprinkle and scatter themselves, out of reverence 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 heavenly songs come wafted from the skies, out of reverence for the successor of the Buddhas of old ! ' Now it is not thus, Ananda, that the Tathagata 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 Tathagata with the worthiest homage.

1 We have here the unusual case of the Buddha being called Tathagata, not by himself, but by a third person, the compiler of the Suttanta. The paragraph is perhaps moulded by inadvertence on the next one. But see § 10. Compare the note above on IV, 25. D. ii. 139. THE BOOK OF THE GREAT DECEASE. 1 5 1 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.' 4. Now at that time the venerable Upava/za was standing in front of the Exalted One, fanning him. And the Exalted One was not pleased with Upavawa, and he said to him : — ' Stand aside, O brother, stand not in front of me ! ' Then this thought sprang up in the mind of the venerable Ananda : — [139] ' This venerable Upavawa had long been in close personal attendance and service on the Exalted One. And now, at the last moment, the Exalted 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 Exalted One is not pleased with Upavawa, and speaks thus with him ? '

5. And the venerable Ananda said to the Exalted One : — ' This venerable Upava^a has long been in close personal attendance and service on the Exalted One. And now, at the last moment, the Exalted One is not pleased with Upavawa, 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 Exalted One is not pleased with Upava^a, and speaks thus with him ? ' ' In great numbers, Ananda, are the gods of the ten world-systems assembled together to behold the Tathagata. For twelve leagues, Ananda, around the Sala Grove of the Mallas, the Upavattana of Kusinara, 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 mur- 1 Buddhaghosa explains that even twenty to sixty angels or gods (devatayo) could stand aragga-ko/i-nittudana- (MS. nittaddana-) matte pi, 'on a point pricked by the extreme point of a gimlet,' without inconveniencing one another (annam anfiam avyabadhenti). It is most curious to find this exact analogy to the notorious discussion as to how many angels could stand on the point

152 XVI. MAHA PARINIBBANA SUTTANTA. D. ii. 139. muring, and say : — " From afar have we come to behold the Tathagata. Few and far between are the Tathagatas, the Arahant Buddhas who appear in the world : and now to-day, in the last watch of the night, the death of a Tathagata will take place ; and this eminent brother stands in front of the Tathagata, concealing him, and in his last hour we are prevented from beholding the Tathagata " ; thus, Ananda, do the spirits murmur.' 6. ' But of what kind of spirits is the Exalted One thinking ? ' ' There are spirits, Ananda, in the sky, but of worldly mind, who dishevel their hair and weep, who stretch forth their arms and weep, [140] who fall prostrate on the ground, and roll to and fro in anguish at the thought : — " Too soon will the Exalted One die ! Too soon will the Exalted One pass away ! Full soon will the Light of the world vanish away * ! " ' 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-

of a needle in a commentary written at just that period of Buddhist history which corresponds to the Middle Ages of Christendom. 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. 1 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 ' He with the Eye,' ' He of the Spiritual Eye ' (see, for instance, the last verses in this Book), 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.

I), ii. 140. THE BOOK OF THE GREAT DECEASE. 153 trate on the ground, and roll to and fro in anguish at the thought : — " Too soon will the Exalted One die ! Too soon will the Happy One pass away ! Full soon will the Eye of the world disappear from sight." ' But the spirits who are free from passion bear it, calm and self-possessed, mindful of the saying which begins: — "Impermanent indeed are all component things. How then is it possible [whereas anything whatever, when born, brought into being, and organized, contains within itself the inherent necessity of dissolution — how then is it possible that such a being should not be dissolved ? No such condition can exist 1 ! " 7. ' In times past, lord, the brethren, when they had spent the rainy season in different districts, used to come to see the Tathagata, and we used to receive those very reverend brethren to audience, and to wait upon the Exalted One. But, lord, after the end of the Exalted One, we shall not be able to receive those very reverend brethren to audience, and to wait upon the Exalted One.'

8. ' There are these four places, Ananda, which the believing clansman should visit with feelings of reverence. Which are the four ? ' The place, Ananda, at which the believing man can say : — " Here the Tathagata was born ! ' is a spot to be visited with feelings of reverence. ' The place, Ananda, at which the believing man can say : — " Here the Tathagata attained to the supreme and perfect insight ! " is a spot to be visited with feelings of reverence. ' The place, Ananda, at which the believing man can say: — " Here was the kingdom of righteousness set on foot by the Tathagata ! ': is a spot to be visited with feelings of reverence. ' The place, Ananda, at which the believing man can say : — " Here the Tathagata passed finally away in that utter passing away which leaves nothing whatever to 1 The words in brackets have been inserted from par. Ill, 48 above. See par. VI, 19 below. I 54 XVI. MAHA PARINIBBANA SUTTANTA. D. ii. 140. remain behind ! " is a spot to be visited with feelings of reverence. [i4l] These are the four places, Ananda, which the believing clansman should visit with feelings of reverence.

' 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 Tathagata born ! " or, " Here did the Tathagata attain to the supreme and perfect insight!" or, " Here was the kingdom of righteousness set on foot by the Tathagata ! " or, " Here the Tathagata passed away in that utter passing away which leaves nothing whatever to remain behind ! " ' And they, Ananda, who shall die while they, with believing heart, are journeying on such pilgrimage, shall be reborn after death, when the body shall dissolve, in the happy realms of heaven.' 9. ' How are we to conduct ourselves, lord, with regard to womankind ? ' ' As not seeing them, Ananda.' ' But if we should see them, what are we to do ? ' ' No talking, Ananda.' ' But if they should speak to us, lord, what are we to do ? ' ' Keep wide awake, Ananda.' 10. 'What are we to do, lord, with the remains of the Tathagata ? ' ' Hinder not yourselves, Ananda, by honouring the remains of the Tathagata. Be zealous, I beseech you, Ananda, in your own behalf! Devote yourselves to your own good ! Be earnest, be zealous, be intent on your own good ! There are wise men, Ananda, among the nobles, among the brahmins, among the heads of houses, who are firm believers in the Tathagata ; and they will do due honour to the remains of the Tathagata.

D. ii. 142. THE BOOK OF THE GREAT DECEASE. I 55 11. l ' But what should be done, lord, with the remains of the Tathagata ? ' 1 As men treat the remains of a kino- of kin^s, so, Ananda, should they treat the remains of a Tathagata.' ' And how, lord, do they treat the remains of a king of kings 2 ? ' ' They wrap the body of a king of kings, Ananda, in a newr cloth. When that is done they wrap it in carded cotton wool 3. When that is done they wrap it in a new cloth, [142] and so on till they have wrapped the body in five hundred successive layers of both kinds. Then they place the body in an oil vessel of iron, and cover that close up with another oil vessel of iron 4. They then build a funeral pyre of all kinds 1 This conversation occurs also below (VI, 17), and the older tradition probably had it only in that connexion. 2 King of kings is an adequate rendering of the ' King of the Rolling Wheel,' the wheels of whose chariot roll unhindered through the land ; that is to say, a king whose power no other king can dispute, who is an acknowledged overlord. The idea, which is explained very fully in the next Suttanta, may have arisen with the rise of the Kosala power ; but it may also be later. If we could trace its history it would afford us a guide to the date at which the Maha Parinibbana Suttanta assumed its present form.

3 Buddhaghosa explains this passage thus : — ' As Benares cloth, by reason of its fineness of texture, does not take the oil, he therefore says: — "with vihata cotton wool," that is, with cotton wool that has been well forced asunder.' The technical use of the word, as applied to cotton wool, has only been found in this passage. It usually means ' torn ' with grief. 4 Ayasaya tela-dowiya, where one would expect ayasaya, but my MS. of the Digha Nikaya confirms twice over here, and twice again below (VI, 33, 35) the reading given by Childers. Buddhaghosa says the word here means gold. Ay as was originally used for bronze, and only later for iron also, and at last exclusively of iron. As ka;«sa is already a common word for bronze in very early Buddhist Pali texts, I think ayasa (not ayasa) would here mean ' of iron.' When Buddhaghosa says it is here a name for gold, we can only conclude that iron had become, in his time, a metal which he might fairly consider too base for the purpose proposed. The whole process as described is not very intelligible; and one might suppose that ayasa after all had nothing to do with any metal, and was a technical term descriptive of some particular size or shape or colour of oil vessel. But it is frequently found in the MSS. when iron is clearly meant. Thus in the

156 XVI MAHA PARINIBBANA SUTTANTA. U. ii. 142. of perfume, and burn the body of the king of kings. And then at the four cross roads they erect a cairn * to the king of kings. This, Ananda, is the way in which they treat the remains of a king of kings. ' And as they treat the remains of a king of kings, so, Ananda, should they treat the remains of the Tathagata. At the four cross roads a cairn should be erected to the Tathagata. And whosoever shall there place garlands or perfumes or paint, or make salutation there, or become in its presence calm in heart — that shall long be to them for a profit and a joy.' 12. ' The men, Ananda, worthy of a cairn, are four in number. Which are the four ? 1 A Tathagata, an Able Awakened One, is worthy of a cairn. One awakened for himself alone is worthy of a cairn 2. A true hearer of the Tathagata is worthy of a cairn. A king of kings is worthy of a cairn. ' And on account of what circumstance, Ananda, is a Tathagata, an Able Awakened One, worthy of a cairn ?

' At the thought, Ananda : — " This is the cairn of that Exalted One, of that Able Awakened One," the hearts of many shall be made calm and happy ; and since they there had calmed and satisfied their hearts they will be reborn after death, when the body has dissolved, in the happy realms of heaven. It is on account of this circumstance, Ananda, that a Tathagata, an Able Awakened One, is worthy of a cairn. popular verse at Sawyutta I, 77 on which a Jataka is based (II, 140), which is inserted in the ' Anthologies ' (Dhammapada 345, Khar. MS. No. 102), and twice quoted in the Netti (35, 153), the MSS. have both forms in spite of the metre favouring the long vowel. In this passage both Panfiananda's Colombo edition of 1877, and Samarasekara's version (Col. and Lond. 1 905) have the short vowel only. 1 Thupa. A solid mound or tumulus or barrow, in the midst of which the bones and ashes are to be placed. The dome of St. Paul's as seen from the Thames Embankment gives a very good idea of one of the later of these Buddhist monumental mounds. P. ii. 143. THE BOOK OF THE GREAT DECEASE. 157

* And on account of what circumstance, Ananda, is one awakened for himself alone J worthy of a cairn ? ' At the thought, Ananda : — " This is the cairn of that Exalted One awakened for himself alone " [143] the hearts of many shall be made calm and happy ; and since they there had calmed and satisfied their hearts they will be reborn after death, when the body has dissolved, in the happy realms of heaven. It is on account of this circumstance, Ananda, that one awakened for himself alone is worthy of a cairn. ' And on account of what circumstance, Ananda, is a true hearer of the Exalted One, the Able Awakened One, worthy of a cairn ? ' At the thought, Ananda : — " This is the cairn of that true hearer of the Exalted Able Awakened One," the hearts of many shall be made calm and happy ; and since they there had calmed and satisfied their hearts they will be reborn after death, when the body has dissolved, in the happy realms of heaven. It is on account of this circumstance, Ananda, that a true hearer of the Exalted One, the Able Awakened One, is worthy of a cairn.

1 And on account of what circumstance, Ananda, is a king of kings worthy of a cairn ? ' At the thought, Ananda : — " This is the cairn of that righteous king who ruled in righteousness," the hearts of many shall be made calm and happy ; and since they there had calmed and satisfied their hearts they will be reborn after death, when the body has dissolved, in the happy realms of heaven. It is on account of this circumstance, Ananda, that a king of kings is worthy of a cairn. 'These four, Ananda, are the persons worthy of a cairn.' 13. 'Now the venerable Ananda went into the Vihara 2, and stood leaning against the lintel of the 1 Pacceka-buddho. One who has attained to the supreme and perfect insight ; but dies without proclaiming the truth to the world. 2 The expression that Ananda went ' into the Vihara' at the end of a conversation represented as having taken place in the Sala Grove, 158 XVI. MAHA PARINIBBANA SUTTANTA. D. ii. 143. door, and weeping at the thought : — ' Alas ! I remain still but a learner, one who has yet to work out his own perfection 1. And the Master is about to pass away from me — he who is so kind ! '

Now the Exalted One called the brethren, and said : — ' Where thenx brethren, is Ananda ? ' ' The venerable Ananda, lord, has gone into the Vihara, and stands leaning against the lintel of the door, and weeping at the thought : — " Alas ! I remain still but a learner, one who has yet to work out his own perfection. And the Master is about to pass away from me — he who is so kind ! " ' And the Exalted One called ascertain brother, and said : — ' Go now, brother, and call Ananda in my name, and say : — " Brother Ananda, the Master calls for thee " 4 Even so, lord ! ' said that brother, in assent, to the Exalted One. And he went up to the place where the Exalted One was : and when he had come there, he said to the venerable Ananda : — ' Brother Ananda, the Master calls for thee.' 4 Very well, brother,' said the venerable Ananda, in assent, to that brother. And he went up to the place where the Exalted One was, and when he had come there, he bowed down before the Exalted One, and took his seat respectfully on one side.

14. Then the Exalted One said to the venerable Ananda, as he sat there by his side : — ' Enough, Ananda ! Do not let yourself be troubled ; do not weep ! Have I not already, on former occasions, told you that it is in the very nature of all things would seem to point to the fact that this episode originally stood in some other connexion. Buddhaghosa attempts to explain away the discrepancy by saying that Vihara here means Ma;/<7ala. As the spot was the place for the performance of the communal ceremonies of the clan there was most likely a Ma;/^ala there, and there must, from the context below, § 25, have been also some small closed-in building, a hut or cottage. It is only this latter that could have been called a Vihara. 1 Ananda had entered the Noble Path, but had not yet reached the end of it. He had not attained to Nirvana. 1). ii . 145. THE BOOK OF THE GREAT DECEASE. 1 59 most near and dear unto us that we must divide ourselves from them, leave them, sever ourselves from them ? How, then, Ananda, can this be possible — Avhereas anything whatever born, brought into being, and organized, contains within itself the inherent necessity of dissolution — how, then, can this be possible, that such a being should not be dissolved ? No such condition can exist ! For a long time, Ananda, have you been very near to me by acts of love, kind and good, that never varies1, and is beyond all measure. For a long time, Ananda, have you been very near to me by words of love, kind and good, that never varies, and is beyond all measure. For a longtime, Ananda, have you been very near to me by thoughts of love, kind and good, that never varies, and is beyond all measure. You have done well, Ananda ! Be earnest in effort, and you too shall soon be free from the Intoxications — [of sensuality, and individuality, and delusion, and ignorance.]2!'

15. Then the Exalted One addressed the brethren, and said : — ' Whosoever, brethren, have been Able Awakened Ones through the long ages of the past, they also had servitors just as devoted to those Exalted Ones as Ananda has been to me. 'He is a clever man, brethren, is Ananda, and wise3. He knows when it is the right time for the brethren or for the sisters of the Order, for devout men [145] and devout women, for a king, or for a king's ministers, or for other teachers or for their disciples, to come and visit the Tathagata. 16. ' Brethren, there are these four wonderful and marvellous qualities in Ananda. Which are the four ? 1 Advayena, which Buddhaghosa explains as not being that kind of love which is now one thing and now another, or which varies in the presence or the absence of the object loved. 2 That is, you too shall become an Arahant, shall attain Nirvana in this life. 3 A word has here slipped out of the text, medhavi should stand before janati. l6o XVI. MAHA PARINIBBANA SUTTANTA. D. ii. 145. ' If, brethren, a number of the brethren of the Order should come to visit Ananda, they are filled with joy on beholding him ; and if Ananda should then preach the truth to them, they are filled with joy at the discourse ; while the company of brethren is ill at ease, brethren, when Ananda is silent.

' If, brethren, a number of the sisters of the Order, . . . or of devout men, ... or of devout women, should come to visit Ananda, they are filled with joy on beholding him ; and if Ananda should then preach the truth to them, they are filled with joy at the discourse; while the company of sisters is ill at ease, brethren, when Ananda is silent. ' Brethren, there are these four wonderful and marvellous qualities in a king of kings. What are the four? ' If, brethren, a number of nobles, or brahmins, or heads of houses, or members of a religious order should come to visit a king of kings, they are filled with joy on beholding him ; and if the king of kings should then speak, they are filled with joy at what is said ; while they are ill at ease, brethren, when the king of kings is silent [146]. 'Just so, brethren.^ are the four wonderful and marvellous qualities in Ananda. ' If, brethren, a number of the brethren of the Order, or of the sisters of the Order, or of devout men, or of devout women, should come to visit Ananda, they are filled with joy on beholding him ; and if Ananda should then preach the truth to them, they are filled with joy at the discourse ; while the company of brethren is ill at ease, brethren, when Ananda is silent.

' Now these, brethren, are the four wonderful and marvellous qualities that are in Ananda.' 1 7. When he had thus spoken, 1 the venerable Ananda said to the Exalted One: — 1 From here down to the end of section 18 is found also, nearly word for word, in the beginning of the Maha-Sudassana Suttanta, translated below. D. ii. 147. THE BOOK OF THE GREAT DECEASE. l6l 4 Let not the Exalted One die in this little wattleand-daub town, in this town in the midst of the jungle, in this branch township1. For, lord, there are other great cities, such as Champa, Rajagaha, Savatthi, Saketa, Kosambi, and Benares. Let the Exalted One die in one of them. There there are many wealthy nobles and brahmins and heads of houses, believers in the Tathagata, who will pay due honour to the remains of the Tathaorata2.' 1 Say not so, Ananda ! Say not so, Ananda, that this is but a small wattle-and-daub town, a town in the midst of the jungle,A a branch township. 18. ' Long ago, Ananda, there was a king, by name Maha-Sudassana, a king of kings, a righteous man who ruled in righteousness, Lord of the four quarters of the earth, conqueror, the protector of his people, possessor of the seven royal treasures. This Kusinara, Ananda, was the royal city of King Maha-Sudassana, under the name of Kusavati, and on the east and on the west it was twelve leagues in length, and on the north and on the south it was seven leagues in breadth.

1 That royal city Kusavati, Ananda, was mighty and prosperous [147] and full of people, crowded with men, and provided with all things for food. Just, Ananda, as the royal city of the gods, A/akamanda by name, is mighty, prosperous, and full of people, crowded with the gods, and provided with all kinds of food, so, 1 KufiWa-nagarake ti pa/irupake sambadhe khuddakanagare. Uggangala-nagarake ti visama-nagarake (S. V, fol. thau) Kudda, if this explanation be right, seems to be merely an old and unusual form for kshudra, and the Burmese correction into khudda to be unnecessary: but I venture to think it is more likely to be = kudya, and to mean a wall built of mud and sticks, or what is called in India, of wattle and daub. When Buddhaghosa explains u^angala as 'lawless,' he is expressing his view that a town in the jungle is likely to be a heathen, pagan sort of place. 2 With reference to Childers's note in his Dictionary on mahasala, with which every one must entirely agree, Buddhaghosa's explanation of the word will be interesting as a proof (if proof be needed) that the Ceylon scholars are not always trustworthy. He says: — Khattiyamahasala ti khattiya-mahasara, sarapatta mahakhattiya. Eso nayo sabbatha.

1 62 XVI. MAHA PARINIBBANA SUTTANTA. D. ii. 147. Ananda, was the royal city Kusavati mighty and prosperous, full of people, crowded with men, and provided with all kinds of food. 4 Both by day and by night, Ananda, the royal city Kusavati resounded with the ten cries ; that is to say, the noise of elephants, and the noise of horses, and the noise of chariots ; the sounds of the drum, of the tabor, and of the lute ; the sound of singing, and the sounds of the cymbal and of the gong ; and lastly, with the cry : — " Eat, drink, and be merry ! " ' 19. 'Go now, Ananda, and enter into Kusinara, and inform the Mallas of Kusinara, saying : — " This day, O Vase///*as, in the last watch of the night, the final passing away of the Tathagata will take place. Be favourable herein, O Vase#/zas, be favourable. Give no occasion to reproach yourselves hereafter, saying: — 4 In our own village did the death of our Tathagata take place, and we took not the opportunity of visiting the Tathagata in his last hours.' " 4 Even so, lord,' said the venerable Ananda, in assent, to the Exalted One ; and he robed himself and taking his bowl, entered into Kusinara attended by another member of the order1.

20. Now at that time the Mallas of Kusinara were assembled in the council hall on some [public] affair -. 1 Literally ' Put on his under-garment, and taking his uppergarment and his bowl, &c.' This sounds complicated; and why should he take his bowl? The Wanderers when at their lodging places on their travels lived (naturally in that beautiful climate) in undress — with only one robe on, the one from the waist to the feet. When they set out for the village on a visit, or on any ceremonious occasion, they put on the second robe, and (just as a European often carries his great-coat on his arm) carried the third with them. At some convenient spot near the village they would put this also on, and enter — so to speak — in full canonicals. And the bowl belonged to, formed part of, their official costume. See J. I, 55 ; III, 379 ; Sum. I, 45, 186; and the note above on Ch. IV, § 37, p. 145. : Kena/i'id eva karawiyena. Professor Pischel, in his edition of the Assalayana Sutta (p. 1), prints this expression kena£i devakarawiyena, and translates it (p. 28), 'for some religious purpose.' It

D. h". 148. THE BOOK OF THE GREAT DECEASE. 1 63 And the venerable Ananda went to the council hall of the Mallas of Kusinara ; and when he had arrived there, he informed them, saying : — ' This day, O Vase- ////as, in the last watch of the night, the final passing away of the Tathagata will take place. Be favourable herein, O Vase//^as, be favourable. Give no occasion to reproach yourselves hereafter, saying : — " In our own village [148] did the death of our Tathagata take place, and we took not the opportunity of visiting the Tathagata in his last hours." ' 21, And when they had heard this saying of the venerable Ananda, the Mallas with their young men and maidens and their wives were grieved, and sad, and afflicted at heart. And some of them wept, dishevelling their hair, and stretched forth their arms and wept, fell prostrate on the ground, and rolled to and fro in anguish at the thought : — ' Too soon will the Exalted One die ! Too soon will the Happy One pass away! Full soon will the Light of the world vanish away ! ' Then the Mallas, with their young men and maidens and their wives, being grieved, and sad, and afflicted at heart, went to the Sala Grove of the Mallas, to the Upavattana, and to the place where the venerable Ananda was.

22. Then the venerable Ananda thought: — 'If I allow the Mallas of Kusinara, one by one, to pay their respects to the Exalted One, the whole of the Mallas of Kusinara will not have been presented to the Exalted One until this night brightens up into the dawn. Let me, now, cause the Mallas of Kusinara to stand in groups, each family in a group, and so present them to the Exalted One, saying : — " Lord ! a Malla of such and such a name, with his children, his wives, his retinue, and his friends, humbly bows down at the feet of the Exalted One." ' And the venerable Ananda caused the Mallas of seems to me that he has been misled by the commentary, which really presupposes the more correct division. 164 XVI. MAHA PARINIBBANA SUTTANTA. D. ii. 148. Kusinara to stand in groups, each family in a group, and so presented them to the Exalted One, and said : — ' Lord ! a Malla of such and such a name, with his children, his wives, his retinue, and his friends, humbly bows down at the feet of the Exalted One.' And after this manner the venerable Ananda presented all the Mallas of Kusinara to the Exalted One in the first watch of the night.

Now at that time a Wanderer named SubhaddaT who was not a believer, was dwelling at Kusinara. And the Wanderer Subhadda heard the news : — ' This very day, they say, in the third watch of the night, will take place the final passing away of the Samara Gotama.' [149] Then thought the Wanderer Subhadda : — ' This have I heard from fellow Wanderers old and well stricken in years, teachers and disciples, when they said : — " Sometimes and full seldom do Tathagatas appear in the world, the Able Awakened Ones." Yet this day, in the last watch of the night, the final passing away of the Samara Gotama will take place. Now a certain feeling of uncertainty has sprung up in my mind ; and this faith have I in the Samara Gotama, that he, methinks, is able so to present the truth that I may get rid of this feeling of uncertainty.' 24. Then the Wanderer Subhadda went to the Sala Grove of the Mallas, to the Upayattana of Kusinara, to the place where the venerable Ananda was. And when he had come there he said to the venerable Ananda : — ' Thus have I heard from fellow Wanderers, old and well stricken in years, teachers and disciples, when they said : — " Sometimes and full seldom do Tathagatas appear in the world, the Able Awakened Ones." Yet this day, in the last watch of the night, the final passing away of the Samara Gotama will take place. Now a certain feeling of uncertaintyhas sprung up in my mind ; and this faith have I in the Samara Gotama, that he, methinks, is able so to present the truth that I ma)- get rid of this feeling of

D. ii. 150. THE BOOK OF THE GREAT DECEASE. 165 uncertainty. O that I, even I, Ananda, might be allowed to see the Samara Gotama ! ' And when he had thus spoken the venerable Ananda said to the Wanderer Subhadda : — ' Enough ! friend Subhadda. Trouble not the Tathagata. The Exalted One is weary.' And again the Wanderer Subhadda [made the same request in the same words, and received the same reply] : and the third time the Wanderer Subhadda [made the same request in the same words, and received the same reply]. [!5o] 25. Now the Exalted One overheard this conversation of the venerable Ananda with the Wanderer Subhadda. And the Exalted One called the venerable Ananda, and said : — ' It is enough, Ananda ! Do not keep out Subhadda. Subhadda, Ananda, may be allowed to see the Tathagata. Whatever Subhadda may ask of me, he will ask from a desire for knowledge, and not to annoy me. And whatever I may say in answer to his questions, that he will quickly understand.' Then the venerable Ananda said to Subhadda, the Wanderer : — ' Enter in, friend Subhadda ; for the Exalted One gives you leave.'

26. Then Subhadda, the Wanderer, went in to the place where the Exalted One was, and saluted him courteously, and after exchanging with him the compliments of esteem and of civility, he took his seat on one side. And when he was thus seated, Subhadda, the Wanderer, said to the Exalted One : — ' The leaders in religious life ] who are heads of companies of 1 Samawa-brahmawa, which compound may possibly mean Samanas and Brahmanas as it has usually been rendered, but I think not necessarily. Not one of those here specified were brahmins by birth, as is apparent from the Sumangala Vilasini on the SamahnaPhala Suttanta, §§ 3-7. Compare the use of Kshatriya-brahmano, ' a soldier priest.' a Kshatriya who offered sacrifice ; and of Brahmawo, absolutely, as an epithet of an Arahant. In the use of the word samawa there seems to me to be a hopeless confusion between, a complete mingling of the meanings of, the two roots sram and sam (which, in Pali, would both become sam). It connotes both asceticism 1 66 XVI. MAHA PARINIBBANA SUTTANTA. D. ii. 150. disciples and students, teachers of students, well known, renowned, founders of schools of doctrine, esteemed as good men by the multitude — to wit, Pura^a Kassapa, Makkhali of the cattle-pen, A^ita of the garment of hair, KaMayana of the Pakudha tree, San^aya the son of the Bela/Mi slave-girl, and Niga?z//za of the Natha clan [l5l] — have they all, according to their own assertion, thoroughly understood things ? or have they not ? or are there some of them who have understood, and some who have not?'

' Enough, Subhadda ! Let this matter rest whether they, according to their own assertion, have thoroughly understood things, or whether they have not, or whether some of them have understood and some have not ! The truth, Ananda, will I teach you. Listen well to that, and give ear attentively, and I will speak ! ' ' Even so, lord ! ' said the Wanderer Subhadda, in assent, to the Exalted One. 27. And the Exalted One spake: — ' In whatsoever doctrine and discipline, Subhadda, the Aryan eightfold path is not found, neither in it is there found a man of true saintliness of the first, or of the second, or of the third, or of the fourth degree. And in whatsoever doctrine and discipline, Subhadda, the Aryan eightfold path is found, in it is found the man of true saintliness of the first, and the second, and the third, and the fourth degree l. Now in this doctrine and discipline, Subhadda, is found the Aryan eightfold path, and in it and inward peace, and might best be rendered ' devotee,' were it not for the intellectual inferiority implied by that word in our language. A Sama;/a-brahmin should therefore mean a man of any birth, who bj his saintliness of life, by his renunciation of the world, and by his reputation as a religious thinker, had acquired the position of a quasibrahmin and was looked up to by the people with as much respect as they looked up to a brahmin by birth. Compare further my ' Buddhist Birth Stories,' vol. I, p. 260; and see J. I, 57, 187 ; M. I. 285-6, 400 ; II, 54 ; A. I, 180 ; III, 228.

1 On these degrees in the religious life, see M. I, 63 ; A. II, 238. They are described in my ' Buddhism' (21st ed., pp. 108 foil.). D. ii. 152. THE BOOK OF THE GREAT DECEASE. 1 67 too, are found, Subhadda, the men of true saintliness of all the four degrees. Void are the systems of other teachers — void of true saints. And in this one, Subhadda, may the brethren live the Life that's Right, so that the world be not bereft of Arahants 1. ' But twenty-nine was I when I renounced The world, Subhadda, seeking after Good. For fifty years and one year more, Subhadda, Since I went out, a pilgrim have I been Through the wide realm of System and of Law — Outside of that no victory can be won ! 2 ' Yea, not of the first, [152] nor of the third, nor of the fourth degree. Void are the systems of other teachers — void of true saints. But in this one, Subhadda, may the brethren live the perfect life, that the world be not bereft of Arahants.' 1 Arahants are those who have reached Nirvana, the ' supreme goal, the highest fruit ' of the Aryan Eightfold Path. To live ' the Life that's Right' (samma) is to live in the Noble Path, each of the eight divisions of which is to be samma, round, right and perfect, normal and complete. To live right (samma) is therefore to have : — (i) Right views, free from superstition ; (2) right aims, high and worthy of the intelligent and earnest man; (3) right speech, kindly, open, truthful ; (4) right conduct, in all concerns of life ; (5) right livelihood, bringing hurt or danger to no living thing ; (6) right perseverance, in all the other seven; (7) right mindfulness, the watchful, active mind; (8) right contemplation, earnest thought on the deep mysteries of life. In each of these the word right is samma, and the whole paragraph being on the Aryan Path, the allusion is certainly to this central doctrine of the Buddhist Dhamma.

Buddhaghosa says that bhikkhu samma viharati, who, having himself entered the Aryan Path, leads his brother into it, and this is, no doubt, good Buddhism. But it is a practical application of the text, a theological exegesis, and not a philological explanation. Even so it seems to lay the stress too much on ' bereft,' and too little on ' Arahants.' - Literally ' There is no sama?za.' See note on § 26. I have followed, though with some doubt, Childers's punctuation. Buddhaghosa refers padesa-vatti to samawo ; and ito, not to padesa, but to magga, understood; and it is quite possible that this is the correct explanation. On samadhikani see the comment at Jataka II, 383 : Watters, ' On Yuan Chwang,' II, 33, and Ed. Hardy, ' Buddhismus,' p. 44. Both Pafinananda and Samarasekhara render it as above. 1 68 XVI. MAHA PARINIBBANA SUTTANTA. D.ii. 152. 28. And when he had thus spoken, Subhadda, the Wanderer, said to the Exalted One : — ' Most excellent, lord, are the words of thy mouth, most excellent ! Just as if a man were to set up that which is thrown down, or were to reveal that which is hidden away, or were to point out the right road to him who has gone astray, or were to bring a lamp into the darkness, so that those who have eyes can see external forms; — just even so, lord, has the truth been made known to me, in many a figure, by the Exalted One. And I, even I, betake myself, lord, to the Exalted One as my refuge, to the truth, and to the Order. I would fain be accepted as a probationer under the Exalted One, as a full member in his Order.'

29. ' Whosoever, Subhadda, has formerly been a follower of another doctrine, and thereafter desires to be received into the higher or the lower grade in this doctrine and discipline, he remains on probation for the space of four months ; and at the end of the four months, the brethren, exalted in spirit, receive him into the lower or into the higher erade of the order. Nevertheless in this case I acknowledge the difference in persons.' 'If, lord, whosoever has formerly been a follower of another doctrine, and then desires to be received into the higher or the lower grade in this doctrine and discipline, — if, in that case, such a person remains on probation for the space of four months ; and at the end of the four months, the brethren, exalted in spirit, receive him into the lower or into the higher grade of the Order — I too, then, will remain on probation for the space of four months ; and at the end of the four months let the brethren, exalted in spirit, receive me into the lower or into the higher grade of the Order ! ' But the Exalted One called the venerable Ananda, and said : — ' As it is, Ananda, receive Subhadda into the Order!'

'Even so, lord!' said the venerable Ananda, in assent, to the Exalted One. T). ii. 153. THE BOOK OF THE GREAT DECEASE. 1 69 30. And Subhadda, the Wanderer, said to the venerable Ananda : — ' Great is your gain, friend Ananda, great is your good fortune, friend Ananda, in that you all have been sprinkled with the sprinkling of discipleship in this brotherhood at the hands of the Master himself! ' [153] So Subhadda, the Wanderer, was received into the higher grade of the Order under the Exalted One ; and from immediately after his ordination the venerable Subhadda remained alone and separate, earnest, zealous, and resolved. And ere long he attained to that supreme goal of the higher life \ for the sake of which the clansmen go out from all and every household gain and comfort to become houseless wanderers — yea, that supreme goal did he, by himself, and while yet in this visible world, bring himself to the knowledge of, and continue to realize, and to see face to face ! And he became conscious that birth was at an end, that the higher life had been fulfilled, that all that should be done had been accomplished, and that after this present life there would be no beyond !

So the venerable Subhadda became yet another among the Arahants ; and he was the last disciple whom the Exalted One himself converted 2. End of the H irannavatiya portion, being the Fifth Portion for Recitation. 1 That is, Nirvana. Compare Mangala Sutta 10, n, and the Dhammapada, verses 180, 354, and above, Chap. I, § 7. 2 Buddhaghosa says that the last five words in the text (the last twelve words in my translation) were added by the Theras who held the Council. On Subhadda's ordination he has the following interesting note : — ' The Thera (that is, Ananda), they say, took him on one side, poured water over his head from a water vessel, made him repeat the formula of meditation on the impermanency of the body (see my '• Buddhist Birth Stories," p. 161), shaved off his hair and beard, clad him in the yellow robes, made him repeat the " Three Refuges," and led him back to the Exalted One. The Exalted One himself admitted him then into the higher rank of the brotherhood, and pointed out to 170 XVI. MAHA PAR1NIBRANA SUTTANTA. D. ii. 153. him a subject for meditation (kamma//Mna). He accepted this, and walking up and down in a quiet part of the grove, he thought and meditated upon it, till overcoming the Evil Spirit, he had acquired Arahantship, and with it the discriminating knowledge of all the Scriptures (Pa/isambhida). Then, returning, he came and took his seat beside the Exalted One.'

According to this, no set ceremony for ordination (Sahghak am maw), as laid down in the Vinaya, took place ; and it is otherwise probable that no such ceremony was usual in the earliest days of Buddhism. i. [154] Now the Exalted One addressed the venerable Ananda, and said : — ' It may be, Ananda, that in some of you the thought may arise, " The word of the master is ended, we have no teacher more ! " But it is not thus, Ananda, that you should regard it. The Truths, and the Rules of the Order, which I have set forth and laid down for you all, let them, after I am gone, be the Teacher to you.' 2 . ' Ananda ! when I am gone address not one another in the way in which the brethren have heretofore addressed each other — with the epithet that is, of " Avuso" (Friend). A younger brother may be addressed by an elder with his name, or his family name, or the title " Friend." But an elder should be addressed by a younger brother as "Sir'' or as " Venerable Sir 1." ' 3. ' When I am gone, Ananda, let the Order, if it should so wish, abolish all the lesser and minor precepts V

4. ' When I am gone, Ananda, let the higher penalty be imposed on brother Channa.' ' But what, lord, is the higher penalty ? ' ' Let Channa say whatever he may like, Ananda, the 1 Bhante or ayasma. This question has been fully discussed by Prof. Franke in the ' Journal of the Pali Text Society,' 1908. 2 According to tradition (trans, by Rhys Davids and Oldenberg, ' Vinaya Texts,' III, 377 foil.) the Order considered this matter shortly after the Buddha's death, and declined to avail themselves of this permission. As to what these lesser precepts were see Rhys Davids, ' Questions of King Milinda,' I, 202 foil. 172 XVI. MAHA PAR1NIBBANA SUTTANTA. D. ii. 154. brethren should neither speak to him, nor exhort him, nor admonish him V 5. Then the Exalted One addressed the brethren, and said : — ' It may be, brethren, that there may be doubt or misgiving in the mind of some brother as to the Buddha, or the doctrine, or the path, or the method2. Inquire, brethren, freely. Do not have to reproach yourselves [155] afterwards with the thought : — " Our teacher was face to face with us, and we could not bring ourselves to inquire of the Exalted One when we were face to face with him." '

And when he had thus spoken the brethren were silent. And aijain the second and the third time the Exalted One addressed the brethren, and said: — 'It maybe, brethren, that there may be doubt or misgiving in the mind of some brother as to the Buddha, or the doctrine, or the path, or the method. Inquire, brethren, freely. Do not have to reproach yourselves afterwards with the thought : — " Our teacher was face to face with us, and we could not bring ourselves to inquire of the Exalted One when we were face to face with him." And even the third time the brethren were silent. Then the Exalted One addressed the brethren, and said : — ' It may be, brethren, that you put no questions out of reverence for the teacher. Let one friend communicate to another.' And when he had thus spoken the brethren were silent. 6. And the venerable Ananda said to the Exalted 1 This brother is represented as an obstinate, perverse man ; so destitute of the proper esprit dc corps that he dared to take part with the sisterhood, and against the brotherhood, in a dispute which had arisen between them. But after the social penalty here referred to had been duly imposed upon him, even his proud and independent spirit was tamed ; he became humble ; his eyes were opened ; and he, also, attained to the ' supreme goal ' of the Buddhist faith. (The passages are shown in the index to ' Vinaya Texts.')

2 Comp. D. II, 287. D. ii. 156. THE BOOK OF THE GREAT DECEASE. I 7, One : — l How wonderful a thing is it, lord, and how marvellous ! Verily, I believe that in this whole assembly of the brethren there is not one brother who has any doubt or misgiving as to the Buddha, or the doctrine, or the path, or the method ! ' ' It is out of the fullness of faith that thou hast spoken, Ananda ! But, Ananda, the Tathagata knows for certain that in this whole assembly of the brethren there is not one brother who has any doubt or misgiving as to the Buddha, or the doctrine, or the path, or the method ! For even the most backward, Ananda, of all these five hundred brethren has become converted, is no longer liable to be born in a state of suffering, and is assured of hereafter attaining to the Enlightenment [of Arahantship] \ 7. Then the Exalted One addressed the brethren, and said : — [156] ' Behold now, brethren, I exhort you, saying : — " Decay is inherent in all component things ! Work out your salvation with diligence ! "

This was the last word of the Tathagata ! 8. Then the Exalted One entered into the first stage of Rapture2. And rising out of the first stage he passed into the second. And rising out of the second he passed into the third. And rising out of the third stage he passed into the fourth. And rising out of the fourth stage of Rapture, he entered into the state of mind to which the infinity of space is alone present 3. And passing out of the mere consciousness of the infinity of space he entered into the state of mind to which the infinity of thought is alone present. And passing out of the mere consciousness of the 1 Compare above, Chap. II, § 7. By ' the most^ backward ' according to Buddhaghosa, the Exalted One referred to Ananda, and he said this to encourage him. 2 The full text and an explanation of this Rapture will be found in the translator's 'Buddhism,' pp. 174-6. 3 Compare above, Chap. Ill, § 33, p. 119. 174 XVI- MAHA PARINIBHANA SUTTANTA. D. ii. 156. infinity of thought he entered into a state of mind to which nothing at all was specially present. And passing out of the consciousness of no special object he fell into a state between consciousness and unconsciousness. And passing out of the state between consciousness and unconsciousness he fell into a state in which the consciousness both of sensations and of ideas had wholly passed away \

Then the venerable Ananda said to the venerable Anuruddha : — l O my lord, O Anuruddha, the Exalted One is dead ! ' ' Nay ! brother Ananda, the Exalted One is not dead. He has entered into that state in which both sensations and ideas have ceased to be ! ' 9. Then the Exalted One passing out of the state in which both sensations and ideas have ceased to be, entered into the state between consciousness and unconsciousness. And passing out of the state between consciousness and unconsciousness he entered into the state of mind to which nothing at all is specially present. And passing out of the consciousness of no special object he entered into the state of mind to which the infinity of thought is alone present. And passing out of the mere consciousness of the infinity of thought he entered into the state of mind to which the infinity of space is alone present. And passing out of the mere consciousness of the infinity of space he entered into the fourth stage of Rapture. And passing out of the fourth stage he entered into the third. And passing out of the third stage he entered into the second. And passing out of the second he entered into the first. And passing out of the first stage of Rapture he entered into the second. And passing out of the second stage he entered into the

1 These nine states are called in the Milinda, p. 176, the nine Anupubba-Viharas. We have therefore, in this list, a technical, scholastic, attempt to describe the series of ideas involved in what was considered the highest thought. No one, of course, can have known what actually did occur ; and the eight boundary lines between the nine states are purely conjectural. 1). ii. 1/57. THE HOOK OF THE GREAT DECEASE. I 75 third. And passing out of the third stage he entered into the fourth stage of Rapture. And passing out of the last stage of Rapture he immediately expired. io. When the Exalted One died there arose, at the moment of his passing out of existence, a mighty earthquake, terrible and awe-inspiring : and the thunders of heaven burst forth [157]. When the Exalted One died, Brahma Sahampati, at the moment of his passing away from existence, uttered this stanza : — ' They all, all beings that have life, shall lay Aside their complex form — that aggregation Of mental and material qualities, That gives them, or in heaven or on earth, Their fleeting individuality ! E'en as the teacher — being such a one, Unequalled among all the men that are, Successor of the prophets of old time, Mighty by wisdom, and in insight clear — Hath died!1'

When the Exalted One died, Sakka, the king of the gods, at the moment of his passing away from existence uttered this stanza : — ' They're transient all, each being's parts and powers, Growth is their very nature, and decay. 1 Brahma, the first cause, the highest result of Indian theological speculation, the one God of the Indian Pantheists, is represented as using expressions full of deep allusions to the most characteristic Buddhist doctrines. The Samussaya is the result of the temporary collocation of the 'aggregations' (khandha) of mental and material qualities which give to each being (bhuto, that is, man, animal, god, ghost, fairy, or what not) its outward and visible shape, its individuality. Loka is here not the world in our sense, but the ' locality ' in the Buddhist universe which such an individual occupies until it is dissolved. (Comp. Chap. II, §§ 12, 26.) Brahma appears therefore as a veritable Doctor in theology, and I have been obliged to expand the translation to bring out all the meaning in the text. 176 XVI. MAHA PARINIBBANA SUTTANTA. D. ii. 157. They are produced, they are dissolved again : To bring them all into subjection — that is bliss V

When the Exalted One died, the venerable Anuruddha, at the moment of his passing away from existence, uttered these stanzas : — ' When he who from all craving want was free, Who to Nirvana's tranquil state had reached, When the great sage finished his span of life, No gasping struggle vexed that steadfast heart ! All resolute, and with unshaken mind, He calmly triumphed o'er the pain of death. E'en as a bright flame dies away, so was The last emancipation of his heart.' 1 On this celebrated verse see below the Introduction to MahaSudassana-Suttanta. It must be the original of the first verse in the Chinese work, Fa Kheu Pi Hu (Beal, Dhammapada, p. 32), though it is there so changed that every clause has lost its point. ' Whatever exists is without endurance, And hence the terms ' flourishing ' and 'decaying.' A man is born, and then he dies. Oh, the happiness of escaping from this condition ! ' The very meaning which is here the most essential connotation of sahkhara is lost in the phrase 'whatever exists.' By a misapprehension of the, no doubt, difficult word D ham ma, which, however, never means ' term,' the second clause has lost its point. And by a grammatical blunder the third clause in the Chinese confines the doctrine, erroneously, to man. In a Chinese tale, called Ngan shih niu, translated by Mr. Beal, in the ' Indian Antiquary ' for May, 1880, the following verses occur; and they are possibly another reflection of this stanza : —

'All things that exist are transitory, They must of necessity perish and disappear ; Though joined together, there must be separation ; Where there is life there must be death.' Compare the constantly repeated phrase : — ' Whatsoever hath an origin in that is inherent the necessity of dissolution.' The perception of this is emphatically called the Eye for the Truth ; and the doctrine is referred to in the next section. D. ii. 158. THE BOOK OF THE GREAT DECEASE. 1 77 When the Exalted One died, the venerable Ananda, at the moment of his passing away from existence, uttered this stanza : — 1 Then was there terror ! Then stood the hair on end! When he endowed with every grace — The supreme Buddha— died ! * ' 2 When the Exalted One died, of those of the brethren who were not yet free from the passions, some stretched out their arms and wept, and some fell headlong on the ground, rolling to and fro in anguish at the thought : — [158] ' Too soon has the Exalted One died! Too soon has the Happy One passed away! Too soon has the Light gone out in the world ! '

But those of the brethren who were free from the passions [the Arahants] bore their grief collected and composed at the thought : — ' Impermanent are all component things ! How is it possible that [they should not be dissolved] ? ' 11. Then the venerable Anuruddha exhorted the brethren, and said : — ' Enough, my brethren ! Weep not, neither lament ! Has not the Exalted One formerly declared this to us, that it is in the very nature of all things near and dear unto us, that we must divide ourselves from them, leave them, sever ourselves from them ? How then, brethren, can this be possible — that whereas anything whatever born, brought into being, and organized, contains within itself the inherent necessity of dissolution — how then can this be possible that such a being should not be dissolved ? No such 1 In these four stanzas we seem to have the way in which the death of the Buddha would be regarded, as the early Buddhist thought, by four representative persons — the exalted God of the theologians ; the Jupiter of the multitude (allowing in the case of each of these for the change in character resulting from their conversion to Buddhism); the holy, thoughtful Arahant; and the loving, childlike disciple.

2 Nearly = V, § 6 ; and below, VI, 19. 178 XVI. MAHA PARINIBBANA SUTTANTA. D. ii. 158. condition can exist ! Even the spirits, brethren, will reproach us V ' But of what kind of spirits, Sir, is the venerable Anuruddha thinking ? ' ' There are spirits, brother Ananda, in the sky, but of worldly mind, who dishevel their hair and weep, and stretch forth their arms and weep, fall prostrate on the ground, and roll to and fro in anguish at the thought : — " Too soon has the Exalted One died ! Too soon has the Light gone out in the world !" ' There are spirits, too, Ananda, on the earth, and of worldly mind, who tear their hair and weep, and stretch forth their arms and weep, fall prostrate on the 1 U^Myanti. I have followed the reading of my own MS., which is confirmed by the Sumangala Vilasini and the Malalahkaravatthu. Vi^Myanti, which Childers reads, would be questionable Buddhism. The spirits do not become extinct ; that is, not as a general rule, as would be implied by the absolute statement : — ' Even the spirits, brethren, become extinct.' It is no doubt true that all spirits, from the lowest to the highest, from the most insignificant fairy to the God of theological speculation, are regarded as temporary. But when they cease to exist as gods or spirits (devata), they do not go out, they are not extinguished (vi^Myanti); they continue to exist in some other form. And though that other form would, from the European point of view, be a different being, as there would be no continuity of consciousness, no passage of a ' soul ' from the one to the other; it would, from the Buddhist point of view, be the same being, as it would be the resultant effect of the same Karma. There would follow on the death of a devata, not extinction, but a transmutation of force, a transmigration of character, a passing on, an inheritance of Karma. Only in the exceedingly rare case of an anagamin, of which an instance will be found above Chap. II, § 7, could it be said that a spirit becomes extinct.

The expression ' of worldly mind,' here and above in V, 6, is in Pali paMavi-safifiiniyo, an ambiguous phrase which has only as yet been found in this connexion. The word is here opposed to vitaraga, 'free from passion,' and I have therefore taken it in a spiritual sense. There is another possibility, viz. that it is used in an intellectual sense, ' making the idea of earth present to their mind' ; and this would be in accordance with the use of sanfii in the Kasiwa meditations, in which spirits, like men, were supposed to indulge; see Digha II, 108. But how easily, especially in Buddhism, the intellectual merges into the religious may be seen from such a Kasina phrase as mara/ia-safifiino, used at Mahavawsa V, 159, of good men. 1). ii. 159. THE BOOK OF THE GREAT DECEASE. I 79 ground, and roll to and fro in anguish at the thought :— " Too soon has the Blessed One died ! Too soon has the Happy One passed away ! Too soon has the Light gone out in the world ! " ' But the spirits who are free from passion bear it, calm and self-possessed, mindful of the saying which begins :— " Impermanent indeed are all component things. How then is it possible [. . . that such a being should not be dissolved] ? ] '

1 2. Now the venerable Anuruddha and the venerable Ananda spent the rest of that night in religious discourse. Then the venerable Anuruddha said to the venerable Ananda : — ' Go now, brother Ananda, into Kusinara and inform the Mallas of Kusinara, saying: — " The Exalted One, O Vase///^as, is dead ; do, then, whatever seemeth to you fit ! ' Even so, lord ! ' said the venerable Ananda, in assent, to the venerable Anuruddha. And having robed himself early in the morning, he took his bowl, and went into Kusinara with one of the brethren as an attendant [159]. Now at that time the Mallas of Kusinara were assembled in the council hall concerning that very matter. And the venerable Ananda went to the council hall of the Mallas of Kusinara ; and when he had arrived there, he informed them, saying : — ' The Blessed One, O Vase///£as, is dead ; do, then, whatever seemeth to you fit ! ' And when they had heard this saying of the venerable Ananda, the Mallas, with their young men and their maidens and their wives, were grieved, and sad, and afflicted at heart. And some of them wept, dishevelling their hair, and some stretched forth their arms and wept, and some fell prostrate on the ground, and some reeled to and fro in anguish at the thought : — ' Too soon has the Exalted One died ! Too soon has

1 See the end of the first paragraph of this section. l8o XVI. MAHA PARINIBBANA SUTTANTA. D. ii. 159. the Happy One passed away! Too soon has the Light gone out in the world ! ' 13. Then the Mallas of Kusinara gave orders to their attendants, saying : — ' Gather together perfumes and garlands, and all the music in Kusinara ! ' And the Mallas of Kusinara took the perfumes and garlands, and all the musical instruments, and five hundred suits of apparel, and went to the Upavattana, to the Sala Grove of the Mallas, where the body of the Exalted One lay. There they passed the day in paying honour, reverence, respect, and homage to the remains of the Exalted One with dancing, and hymns, and music, and with garlands and perfumes ; and in making canopies of their garments, and preparing decoration wreaths to hang thereon1. Then the Mallas of Kusinara thought : — ' It is much too late to burn the body of the Exalted One to-day. Let us now perform the cremation to-morrow.' And in paying honour, reverence, respect, and homage to the remains of the Exalted One with dancing, and hymns, and music, and with garlands and perfumes ; and in making canopies of their garments, and preparing decoration wreaths to hang thereon, they passed the second day too, and then the third day, and the fourth, and the fifth, and the sixth day also.

14. Then on the seventh day the Mallas of Kusinara [160] thought : — 1 The dress of the Mallas consisted probably of mere lengths of muslin or cotton cloth ; and a suit of apparel consisted of two or, at the outside, of three of these — one to wrap around the loins, one to throw over the shoulders, and one to use as a turban. To make a canopy on occasions of state they would join such pieces together ; to make the canopy into a tent they would simply add walls of the same material ; and the only decoration, as simple as it is beautiful, would be wreaths of flowers, or single lotuses, hanging from the roof, or stretched along the sides. Every civil servant travelling on duty in remote districts in Ceylon has such a tent or canopy put up for him by the peasantry. D. ii. i6o. THE BOOK OF THE GREAT DECEASE. 1 8 1 ' Let us carry the body of the Exalted One, by the south and outside, to a spot on the south, and outside of the city, — paying it honour, and reverence, and respect, and homage, with dance, and song, and music, with garlands and perfumes, — and there, to the south of the city, let us perform the cremation ceremony ! '

And thereupon eight chieftains among the Mallas bathed their heads, and clad themselves in new garments with the intention of bearing the body of the Exalted One. But, behold, they could not lift it up ! Then the Mallas of Kusinara said to the venerable Anuruddha : — l What, lord, can be the reason, what can be the cause, that eight chieftains of the Mallas who have bathed their heads, and clad themselves in new garments with the intention of bearing the body of the Exalted One, are unable to lift it up ? ' 1 It is because you, O Vase///^as, have one purpose, and the spirits have another purpose.' 15. ' But what, lord, is the purpose of the spirits ? ' ' Your purpose, O Vase///^as, is this : — Let us carry the body of the Exalted One, by the south and outside, to a spot on the south, and outside of the city, — paying it honour, and reverence, and respect, and homage, with dance, and song, and music, with garlands and perfumes, — and there, to the south of the city, let us perform the cremation ceremony. But the purpose of the spirits, Vase^as, is this : — Let us carry the body of the Exalted One by the north to the north of the city, and entering the city by the north gate, let us bring it through the midst of the city into the midst thereof. And going out again by the eastern gate, — paying honour, and reverence, and respect, and homage to the body of the Exalted One, with heavenly dance, and song, and music, and garlands, and perfumes, — let us carry it to the shrine of the Mallas called Maku/a-bandhana, to the east of the city, and there let us perform the cremation ceremony.'

' Even according to the purpose of the spirits, so, lord, let it be.' 1 82 XVI. MAHA PARINIBBANA SUTTANTA. I), ii. 160. 1 6. Then immediately all Kusinara down even to the dust bins and rubbish heaps became strewn kneedeep with Mandarava flowers from heaven ! and while both the spirits from the skies, and the Mallas of Kusinara upon earth, paid honour, and reverence, and respect, and homage to the body of the Exalted One, with dance, and song, and music, [l6l] with garlands, and with perfumes, they carried the body by the north to the north of the city ; and entering the city by the north gate they carried it through the midst of the city into the midst thereof; and going out again by the eastern gate they carried it to the shrine of the Mallas, called Maku/a-bandhana ; and there, to the east of the city, they laid down the body of the Exalted One1. 172. Then the Mallas of Kusinara said to the venerable Ananda : — ' What should be done, lord, with the remains of the Tathagata ? ' ' As men treat the remains of a king of kings, so, Vase/Mas, should they treat the remains of a Tathagata.'

' And how, lord, do they treat the remains of a king of kings ? ' ' They wrap the body of a king of kings, Vase/Z/^as, in a new cloth. When that is done they wrap it in carded cotton wool. 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 oil vessel of iron, and cover that close up with another oil vessel of iron. The}- then build a funeral pyre of all kinds of perfumes, 1 The point of this interesting legend is that the inhabitants of an Indian village of that time would have considered it a desecration or pollution to bring a dead body into or through their village. Authorities differ as to the direction in which it should be taken to avoid this. The old custom, according to Caland (p. 23) was to take it to the East or the West. Later priestly books (Manu, for instance, V, 92) say to the North. The Mallas wanted to go to the South. The remedy proposed by the spirits who are shocked at this impropriety, is more shocking still.

2 Compare Chap. V, §§ 11, 12. D. ii. 162. THE BOOK OF THE GREAT DECEASE. 1 83 and burn the body of the king of kings. And then at the four cross roads they erect a cairn to the king of kings. This. Vase/^as, is the way in which they treat the remains of a king of kings. ' And as they treat the remains of a king of kings, so, Vase////as, should they treat the remains of the Tathagata. At the four cross roads a cairn should be erected to the Tathagata. And whosoever shall there place garlands or perfumes or paint, or make salutation there, or become in its presence calm in heart — that shall long be to them for a profit and a joy.' 18. Therefore the Mallas gave orders to their attendants, saying : — ' Gather together all the carded cotton wool of the Mallas ! ' Then the Mallas of Kusinara wrapped the body of the Exalted One in a new cloth. And when that was done, they wrapped it in carded cotton wool. And when that was done, they wrapped it in a new cloth, [162] — and so on till they had wrapped the body of the Exalted One in five hundred layers of both kinds. And then they placed the body in an oil vessel of iron, and covered that close up with another oil vessel of iron. And then they built a funeral pyre of all kinds of perfumes, and upon it they placed the body of the Exalted One.

19. Now at that time the venerable Maha Kassapa was journeying along the high road from Pava to Kusinara with a great company of the brethren, with about five hundred of the brethren. And the venerable Maha. Kassapa left the high road, and sat himself down at the foot of a certain tree. Just at that time a certain naked ascetic1 who had picked up a Mandarava flower in Kusinara was coming along the high road to Pava. Now the venerable Maha Kassapa saw the naked ascetic coming in the distance ; and when he had seen him he said to that naked ascetic : — An Ajivaka. See the note above at Vol. I, p. 71. 184 XVI. MAHA PARINIBBANA SUTTANTA. D. ii. 162. ' O friend ! surely thou knowest our Master ? ' ' Yea, friend ! I know him. This day the Samara Gotama has been dead a week ! That is how I obtained this Mandarava flower.' On that of those of the brethren who were not yet free from the passions, some stretched out their arms and wept, and some fell headlong on the ground, and some reeled to and fro in anguish at the thought: — 'Too soon has the Exalted One died ! Too soon has the Happy One passed away ! Too soon has the Light gone out in the world ! '

But those of the brethren who were free from the passions [the Arahants] bore their grief self-possessed and composed at the thought : — ' Impermanent are all component things! How is it possible that [they should not be dissolved] ? ' 20. Now at that time a brother named Subhadda, who had been received into the Order in his old age, was seated in that company 1. And Subhadda the recruit in his old age said to those brethren : — ' Enough, sirs ! Weep not, neither lament ! We are well rid of the great Samara. We used to be annoyed by being told: — "This beseems you, this beseems you not." But now we shall be able to do whatever we like ; and what we do not like, that we shall not have to do ! ' But the venerable Maha Kassapa exhorted the brethren :• — ' Enough, my brethren ! Weep not, neither lament! [163] Has not the Exalted One formerly declared this, that it is in the very nature of all things near and dear unto us that we must divide ourselves 1 At p. xxvi of the Introduction to his edition of the Vinaya, Prof. Oldenberg identifies this Subhadda with Subhadda the last convert, mentioned above at the end of Chap. V. They are different persons; the last convert being represented as a man of high character, incapable of the conduct here ascribed to this Subhadda. The last convert was a brahmin, traditionally supposed to be younger brother to Anna Kondafifia, the first convert ; this Subhadda had been a barber in the village Atuma.

D. ii. 163. THE BOOK OF THE GREAT DECEASE. 1 85 from them, leave them, sever ourselves from them ? How then, brethren, can this be possible — whereas anything whatever born, brought into being, and organized contains within itself the inherent necessity of dissolution — how then can this be possible that such a being should not be dissolved ? No such condition can exist ! ' 21. Now just at that time four chieftains of the Mallas had bathed their heads and clad themselves in new garments with the intention of setting on fire the funeral pyre of the Exalted One. But, behold, they were unable to set it alight ! Then the Mallas of Kusinara said to the venerable Anuruddha : — ' What, lord, can be the reason, and what the cause [of this] ? ' ' The purpose of the spirits, O Vase////as, is different' 1 But what, sir, is the purpose of the spirits ? ' ' The purpose of the spirits, O Vase/^as, is this : — That venerable brother Maha Kassapa is now journeying along the way from Pava to Kusinara with a great company of the brethren, with five hundred brethren. The funeral pyre of the Exalted One shall not catch fire until the venerable Maha Kassapa shall have been able reverently to salute the feet of the Exalted One.'

' Even according to the purpose of the spirits so, sir, let it be!' 22. Then the venerable Maha Kassapa went on to Maku/a-bandhana of Kusinara, to the shrine of the Mallas, to the place where the funeral pyre of the Exalted One was. And when he had come up to it he arranged his robe on one shoulder ; and after bowing down with clasped hands, he thrice walked reverently round the pyre, and then, uncovering the feet, he bowed down in reverence at the feet of the Exalted One. And those five hundred brethren arranged their rcbes on one shoulder ; and bowing down with clasped l86 XVI. MAHA PARINIBBANA SUTTANTA. D. ii. 163. hands, they thrice walked reverently round the pyre, and then bowed down in reverence at the feet of the Exalted One [164]. And when the homage of the venerable Maha Kassapa and of those five hundred brethren was ended, the funeral pyre of the Exalted One caught fire of itself1. 23. Now as the body of the Exalted One burned itself away, from the skin and the integument, and the flesh, and the nerves, and the fluid of the joints, neither soot nor ash was seen. Only the bones remained behind. Just as one sees no soot or ash when ghee or oil is burned ; so, as the body of the Exalted One burned itself away, from the skin and the integument, and the flesh, and the nerves, and the fluid of the joints, neither soot nor ash was seen. Only the bones remained behind. And of those five hundred pieces of raiment the very innermost and outermost were both consumed.

And when the body of the Exalted One had been burnt up, there came down streams of water from the sky and extinguished the funeral pyre of the Exalted One ; and there burst forth streams of water from the storehouse of the waters [beneath the earth], and extinguished the funeral pyre of the Exalted One. The Mallas of Kusinara also brought water scented 1 It is possible that we have here the survival of some ancient custom. Spence Hardy appropriately refers to a ceremony among Jews (of what place or time is not mentioned) in the following terms : — ' Just before a Jew is taken out of the house to be buried, the relatives and acquaintances of the departed stand round the coffin ; when the feet are uncovered ; and each in rotation lays hold of the great toes, and begs pardon for any offence given to the deceased, and requests a favourable mention of them in the next world ' (' Manual of Buddhism,' p. 348). The Buddhist bhikkhus in Siam and the great majority of those in Ceylon (the adherents of the Siyam-samagama) always keep one shoulder uncovered. It is evident that the bhikkhus in Burma and those in Ceylon, who belong to the Amara-pura-samagama, are more in accordance with ancient custom in wearing the robe ordinarily over both shoulders. ,

D. ii. 165. THE MOOK OF THE GREAT DECEASE. 1 87 with all kinds of perfumes, and extinguished the funeral pyre of the Exalted One'. Then the Mallas of Kusinara surrounded the bones of the Exalted One in their council hall with a lattice work of spears, and with a rampart of bows ; and there for seven days they paid honour, and reverence, and respect, and homage to them with dance, and song, and music, and with garlands and perfumes. 24. Now the king of Magadha, Ajatasattu, the son of the queen of the Videha clan, heard the news that the Exalted One had died at Kusinara. Then the king of Magadha, Ajatasattu, the son of the queen of the Videha clan, sent a messenger to the Mallas, saying, — ' The Exalted One was a Kshatriya and so am I. I am worthy to receive a portion of the relics of the Exalted One. Over the remains of the Exalted One will I put up a sacred cairn, and in their honour will I celebrate a feast ! ' And the Licchavis of Vesali heard the news that the Exalted One had died at Kusinara. And the Licchavis of Vesali sent a messenger to the Mallas, saying: — 'The Exalted One was a Kshatriya and so are we [165]. We are worthy to receive a portion of the relics of the Exalted One. Over the remains of the Exalted One will we put up a sacred cairn, and in their honour will we celebrate a feast ! '

And the Sakiyas of Kapila-vatthu heard the news that the Exalted One had died at Kusinara. And the 1 There is something very quaint in the way in which the faithful Mallas are here represented as bringing coals to Newcastle. The 'storehouse of the waters' is in Pali udaka-sala, on which Buddhaghosa has two theories : first, that the Sala trees around shed down a miraculous rain from their trunks and branches and leaves ; and next, that the waters burst up from the earth and became as it were a diadem of crystal round the pyre. On the belief that water thus burst up miraculously through the earth, see ' Buddhist Birth Stories,' pp. 64, 67. If the reading be correct it is scarcely possible that sala can here have anything to do with Sala trees ; but the other interpretation is open to the objections that sala means an open hall rather than a storehouse, and that the belief in a ; storehouse of water ' has not, as yet, been found elsewhere. 1 88 XVI. MAHA PARINIBBANA SUTTANTA. D. ii. 165. Sakiyas of Kapila-vatthu sent a messenger to the Mallas, saying :- — ' The Exalted One was the pride of our race. We are worthy to receive a portion of the relics of the Exalted One. Over the remains of the Exalted One will we put up a sacred cairn, and in their honour will we celebrate a feast ! '

And the Bulis of Allakappa heard the news that the Exalted One had died at Kusinara. And the Bulis of Allakappa sent a messenger to the Mallas, saying : — ' The Exalted One was a Kshatriya and so are we. We are worthy to receive a portion of the relics of the Exalted One. Over the remains of the Exalted One will we put up a sacred cairn, and in their honour will we celebrate a feast ! ' And the Koliyas of Ramagama heard the news that the Exalted One had died at Kusinara. And the Koliyas of Ramagama sent a messenger to the Mallas, saying: — 'The Exalted One was a Kshatriya and so are we. We are worthy to receive a portion of the relics of the Exalted One. Over the remains of the Exalted One will we put up a sacred cairn, and in their honour will we celebrate a feast ! ' And the brahmin of Ve///adipa heard the news that the Exalted One had died at Kusinara. And the brahmin of Ve^adipa sent a messenger to the Mallas, saying: — ' The Exalted One was a Kshatriya, and I am a brahmin. I am worthy to receive a portion of the relics of the Exalted One. Over the remains of the Exalted One will I put up a sacred cairn, and in their honour will I celebrate a feast ! '

And the Mallas of Pava heard the news that the Exalted One had died at Kusinara. Then the Mallas of Pava sent a messenger to the Mallas, saying : — ' The Exalted One was a Kshatriya and so are we. We are worthy to receive a portion of the relics of the Exalted One. Over the remains of the Exalted One will we put up a sacred cairn, and in their honour will we celebrate a feast! ' D. ii. t66. THE T.OOK OF THE GREAT DECEASE. 189 25. When they heard these things the Mallas of Kusinara spoke to the assembled crowds, saying: — [166] ' The Exalted One died in our village domain. We will not give away any part of the remains of the Exalted One ! ' When they had thus spoken, Do/^a the brahmin addressed the assembled crowds, and said : — ■ ' Hear, gracious sirs, one single word from me. Forbearance was our Buddha wont to teach. Unseemly is it that over the division Of the remains of him who was the best of beings Strife should arise, and wounds, and war ! Let us all, sirs, with one accord unite In friendly harmony to make eight portions. Wide spread let cairns spring up in every land That in the Light of the world mankind may trust ! '

' Do thou then, O brahmin, thyself divide the remains of the Exalted One equally into eight parts, with fair division V ' Be it so, sirs ! ' said Do«a the brahmin, in assent, to the assembled brethren. And he divided the remains of the Exalted One equally into eight parts, with fair division. And he said to them : — ' Give me, sirs, this vessel, and I will set up over it a sacred cairn, and in its honour will I establish a feast.' And they gave the vessel to Do^a the brahmin. 26. And the Moriyas of Pipphalivana heard the news that the Exalted One had died at Kusinara. Then the Moriyas of Pipphalivana sent a messenger to the Mallas, saying : — ' The Exalted One was a Kshatriya and so are we. We are worthy to receive a portion of the relics of the Exalted One. Over the remains of the Exalted One will we put up a sacred cairn, and in their honour will we celebrate a feast ! ' And when they heard the answer, saying: — 'There is 1 Here again the commentator expands and adds to the comparatively simple version of the text.