Part III 
 


Kassapa  

The cold and foggy winter was advancing, but the days were still warm and soft. The sage of the Sakyas, was sitting in deep concentration under the outstretched branches of the big tree asvattha. Once he had started to eat again, his body was recovering quickly, and had the look of a normal healthy man.  Three tall men, with long matted hair and loincloths made of animal skins, approached the man sitting under the tree. In the lead was Kassapa the Elder, followed by two of his assistants – fire-worshippers. Kassapa was seventy five years old but his body, burned by the sun, was still tough and strong. His gait was upright and his long hair matted and dark. Without greeting, Kassapa approached the sage and said: “ Is it true? Ah hear ‘at ascetic Gautama doesnae want tae starve onie mair, doesnae want tae suffer, gae himself up tae abundance an’ luxury”.  The sage of the Sakyas looked calmly at Kassapa and replied: “Those ascetics and Brahmins in the past, Kassapa, who had experienced sudden, acute, severe pain in its full intensity have not suffered more than me. The ascetics and Brahmins of the future, and those in the present time, who experience sudden, acute, severe pain in its full intensity, will not suffer more than me. In suffering, Kassapa, I reached the utmost which can be reached by someone, but can not be surpassed”.   Kassapa nodded his head as he continued looking at the man, who had regained his strength and vitality, sitting under the tree. “ Ah thought, ‘at ascetic Gautama is a holy cheil, but Ah was wrang”.   He gave a sign with his hand to his assistants. The three of them turned their backs to the sage and moved away. Bodhisattva Gautama remained for some time in concentration, after which he rose. In the distance a small grove of tall salva trees was visible. The sage of the Sakyas headed for them. When he reached the place he stopped. The trees here were the same as those in the park of Lumbini in which, thirty five years ago, Siddhartha Gautama was born. At this place, surrounded by the high, mighty trees, the man searching for the final deliverance and cure from suffering, spent the rest of the day. When the sun set, the Bodhisattva gave himself to rest. During the night he dreamed a glorious dream. He saw the world appear in front of him in the shape of a huge bed. He was lying on this bed and the Snowy mountains served him instead of a pillow. His left hand was stretched and touched the eastern ocean, his right hand was stretched and touched the western ocean. His legs reached the southern ocean. A plant called tiriya, sprung from his navel and raised high above him, until it touched the sky. Millions of black-headed ants crept up his knees and covered them with their bodies. Four birds of different colours came from the four quarters and, falling at his feet, became entirely white. At the end he saw himself walking on a mountain of dirt of all kinds, without being defiled by it. At dawn he woke up, embraced by a joyous feeling. The dream was showing that the final liberation was near and would soon occur.  The sage of the Sakyas headed to the river Neranjara. With the end of the winter season the river has become completely dry. Stepping over the sand that covered the dry bed, he made for the other bank. Halfway across the river he met a boy who was carrying on his head a large bundle of the grass kusha. This grass was a soft one which people used for bedding. The boy looked at him happily.  “What do they call you, friend?” asked the sage of the Sakyas. “They call me Lucky”  the boy replied.  He laid the bundle down on the ground, and took apart eight handfuls of grass. He gathered them in one bundle and handed it to the sage. The boy smiled again, put the large bundle on his head and left. The bodhisattva took the presented bundle and continued on his way.  Passing on his right the closed shelter in which alms to the poor and homeless were given, he continued on the open road. Soon he reached a pleasant area, with a lake and a grove of trees, which was hidden away from view. An old tree, with wide outstretched branches and covered with dark-green leaves, stood out from the other trees. It was the same kind as that on the other side of the river, near the sacred well. The bodhisattva approached the venerable tree, seized by joyous feeling. He began to carefully test the four directions, standing consecutively to the north, west, south and east of the mighty trunk. He found the easterly direction to be the most suitable and on that side he spread the kusha grass on the ground. He prepared himself then sat down on the comfortable seat, cross-legged and upright. The bodhisattva joined his hands in his lap, the back of his right hand placed over the left palm, and uttered these words: “Skin, sinew and bones may dry up, my flesh and blood may dry in my body, but I will not leave this seat without attaining true and complete enlightenment”.      


The enlightenment  

The round red disk of the setting sun was melting low on the horizon. The evening twilight was closing in. The sage of the Sakyas was sitting motionless under the venerable tree, absorbed in concentration. He was completely focused on the process of inhaling and exhaling. Gradually his thoughts became clear and relaxed. Secluded from sensual pleasures, secluded from unwholesome states, he entered a state, which was accompanied by thought and examination, with a rapture and happiness born of seclusion. Soon, with thought and examination subsiding, he entered a new state which was characterized by the gaining of internal confidence and unification of mind. The thoughts and the examinations had ceased, to be displaced by the rapture and happiness born of concentration. Finally the feelings of rapture and happiness faded away as well, leaving only equanimity and the sense of bodily bliss. Residing in this new state, he remained calm, mindful and clearly comprehending.   In the meantime the round moon had risen in the sky. The last full moon before the shortest day of the year.  The bodhisattva was in a state of concentration which was neither painful nor pleasant and which was purifying the mind by equanimity. With a focused mind - purified, bright, unblemished, free of imperfection, malleable, wieldy, steady, imperturbable - he penetrated beyond the present moment. He saw all his past lives up to the moment of his birth.  Then the bodhisattva directed his purified and perfect mind to the recollection of past lives. And he saw his varied and numerous past lives. He saw one of his past lives, he saw a second, third, fourth, fifth, tenth, twentieth, thirtieth, fortieth, fiftieth, hundredth, thousandth, hundred-thousandth. He saw himself so named, of such a clan, with such an appearance, with such an experience of happiness and pain, and with such lifespan. He saw himself under another name, under another clan and appearance, with another experience of happiness and pain, with a different lifespan. He saw, with their varying features, all his numerous rebirths. He saw clearly how, like the life of men, the world also originates and dies; originates, develops and dies. Before him, the endless process of becoming and developing was revealed. Eons of expansion and contraction, eons of contraction and expansion.  The first third of the night was over.  Then the bodhisattva directed his focused mind - purified, bright, unblemished, free of imperfection, malleable, wieldy, steady, imperturbable -  to the knowledge of death and rebirth in all beings. With the divine eye, which is purified and surpasses the human, he saw beings dieing and being reborn, inferior and superior, beautiful and ugly, fortunate and unfortunate. He understood how beings fare according to their actions. Those beings who behaved wrongly by body, speech and mind, who offended and humiliated others, held wrong views and undertook actions based on these wrong views, were reborn in a state of misery, in a lower world, even in hell. But those beings who behaved well in body, speech, and mind, who did not offend and humiliate others, who held right view and undertook action based on right view, were reborn in a state of happiness, in a higher world, even in a heavenly world. Thus with the divine eye, which is purified and surpasses the human, he understood how beings fare, according to their actions.  The second third of the night was over..  Then the bodhisattva Siddhartha Gautama sought knowledge of the destruction of suffering. This world has fallen into trouble, in that it is born, ages-and-dies. It dies and is reborn, yet it does not understand the escape from this suffering, formed by aging-and-death. When will an escape be found from this suffering? Through careful examination the bodhisattva searched for the answer to this question. When something exists does aging-and-death always happen? By what is aging-and-death conditioned? No doubt the birth of man aroused further consequences. The birth was the condition of aging-and-death. But what is it that causes birth? Then it came to him. Attachment. Attachment to the world caused birth. It was the condition of birth, followed by aging-and-death. And when something exists how does this attachment come to be?  By what is attachment conditioned?  Craving and thirst were the things that caused attachment. These were the conditions for its origins. But by what was craving conditioned?  What provoked these feelings of craving and thirst?  Feelings that gave rise to craving  were the conditions for the origin of attachment. But on what were the feelings based? By what were they conditioned? Physical, visual and spiritual contacts were the cause of these feelings. Contact was the condition for their origin. But by what does contact arise? What was the condition for it? The five sense organs, the touch of the five sense organs with the objects, combined with the actions of the mind, were the conditions that made contact. Would it be possible for the five sense organs to exist, combined with actions of the mind, without the name-and-form, without the existence of the physical organism?  No, the existence of the five sense organs combined with the actions of the mind would not be possible without the name-and-form, the physical organism. But what was the condition for the origins of the name-and-form? By what were they determined? Consciousness, the consciousness determined the origin of the name-and-form, it was the condition for them to exist.  With a focused mind, purified, bright, unblemished, free from imperfection, malleable, wieldy, steady, and imperturbable, the bodhisattva sought the answer to the question – When something exists how does consciousness come to be? By what is consciousness conditioned? Through careful examination, he made a breakthrough formed by wisdom. When there is name-and-form consciousness arises. Consciousness has name-and-form as its condition.  Then the bodhisattva, like a man wandering through the forest, stepped onto an ancient road, much travelled by people in the past. He followed this road and reached an ancient city, an ancient capital that had been inhabited by people in the past. It was a magnificent city with parks, groves, ponds and ramparts. The city could be renovated to become, once more, successful and prosperous, filled with people, open to growth and expansion. The road to that city was none other than the noble eightfold path, travelled by the perfectly enlightened ones of the past. It consisted of right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration. Those who followed that path knew directly the origin of suffering, its cessation, and the way leading to this cessation.  Then the bodhisattva knew directly the influences, as they really are. These are the influences, this is their cause, this is their cessation and this is the way leading to the cessation of the influences.  When he knew and saw that, his mind was liberated from the influence of sensual desire, from the influence of existence, from the influence of ignorance. Rebirth was destroyed, the spiritual life has been established, what had to be done has been done, there was no more going back to any state of being.  When all was liberated, then came knowledge: “I am liberated.” The dawn came from the east. The third part of the night was over. The body of the sramana, sitting under the tree emitted light. His white skin, his nails and the white in his eyes glittered in white. His black hair, dark eyebrows, and his pupils glittered in black. The blue irises in his eyes sparkled in blue. Enjoying the realisation of liberation, the Victorious One uttered:   “When truly things are manifested  Unto the strenuous, meditating Brahmin, Then his doubts vanish away completely For he knows things together with their cause.   When truly things are manifested Unto the strenuous, meditating Brahmin, Then his doubts vanish away completely, For he knows how to destroy the cause.   When truly things are manifested Unto the strenuous, meditating Brahmin, He stands and smites away the Mara’s host, Even as the sun, the firmament enlightens”.   Completely liberated, under the Bodhi tree, the Perfect One stood in joy, perceiving the world with the eyes of Fully Awakened.       


Conversation with Brahma Sahampati  

Full with bliss was the seclusion of the joyous one, who knew and contemplated the truth. Full with bliss was the solitude of the one who has liberated himself from passion and desire, who had subdued his own disobedient ego.  “You have reached a state few have managed. You have passed to the opposite shore”.  The Blessed One recognized the words of Mara, and his dark shadow standing nearby.  “You found the truth that was hard to find”     the Tempter continued. “But the others will not understand it. Blessed art thou. Enter the Parinirvana - that is the only right way”. The words of Mara broke the peace of the Awakened One. Without looking at the Master of Temptation, he considered: “This Dharma that I have attained is profound, hard to see and to understand, peaceful and sublime, unattainable by mere reasoning, subtle, experienced by the wise. But the people delight in attachment, take delight in attachment, rejoice in attachment. It is hard for such people to see this truth, namely, specific conditionality, dependent origination. And it is hard to see this truth, namely, the stilling of all formations, the relinquishing of all acquisitions, the destruction of craving, dispassion, cessation, nirvana. If I were to teach the Dharma, others would not understand me. That would be wearing and troublesome for me.” Then, after these reflections, the Awakened One said:   “I will not teach the Dharma That even I found hard to reach For it will never be perceived By those who live in lust and hate   Those wrapped in darkness, lust-inflamed Will never discern this Dharma, Which goes against the worldly stream, Subtle, deep, and difficult to see”.   Then from the world of Brahma, just as quickly as a strong man might extend his flexed arm or flex his extended arm, came the Brahma Sahampati and he appeared before the Blessed One. He arranged his upper robe on one shoulder, and, extending his hands in reverential salutation towards the Blessed One, said: “Venerable sir! Let the Blessed One teach the Dharma, let the Sublime one teach the Dharma. There are beings with little dust in their eyes that will perish if they do not hear the Dharma. There will be those who will understand the Dharma.” Having said that, the Brahma Sahampati continued:   “In Magadha there have appeared till now Impure teachings devised by those still stained. Open the doors to the Deathless! Let them hear The Dharma that the Stainless one has found.   Just as one who stands on a mountain peak Can see below the people all around, So, o wise one, all-seeing sage, Ascend the palace of the Dharma.   Let the sorrowless one survey this human breed, Engulfed in sorrow, overcome by birth and old age. Let the Blessed One teach the Dharma, There will be those who will understand”.   The Blessed One listened to the Brahma’s pleading, and out of compassion for beings surveyed the world with the eye of an Awakened.  Surveying the world with the eyes of an Awakened, he saw beings with little dust in their eyes and with much dust in their eyes, with keen faculties and with dull faculties, with good qualities and with bad qualities, easy to teach and hard to teach, and some who lived seeing fear and blame in the other world. Just as in a pond of blue or red or white lotuses, some lotuses that are born and grow in water thrive immersed in water without rising out of it, while some other lotuses that are born and grow in the water rest on the water’s surface, yet others that are born and grow in the water rise out of the water and stand clear and dry. So too, surveying the world with the eye of an Awakened, he saw people with little dust in their eyes and with much dust in their eyes, with keen faculties and with dull faculties, with good qualities and with bad qualities, easy to teach and hard to teach, and some who lived seeing fear and blame in the other world.  Then the Blessed One turned to Brahma Sahampati and uttered these words:     “Opened for them are the doors to Deathlessness. Let those who hear show their faith”. It was now that Brahma Sahampati knew that the Blessed One has consented to his request. After paying homage to him, keeping him on the right, he left at once. The dark shadow of Mara was also gone.


  On the road to Benares  

After the conversation with Brahma Sahampati and the decision to teach, the Blessed one was again left in peace. Then he considered: “To whom should I first teach the Dharma? Who will understand this Dharma quickly?” Then he decided: “Alara Kalama is wise, intelligent and discerning with little dust in his eyes. I will teach the Dharma first to Alara Kalama. He will understand it quickly.”  Then several deities approached the Blessed One and said: “Venerable sir! Alara Kalama died seven days ago.” In the thoughts of the Blessed One a knowledge and vision arose that Alara Kalama had indeed died seven days ago. The Blessed One thought: “A noble man was Alara Kalama. If he had heard this Dharma, he would have understood it quickly.”  And again the Blessed One considered: “To whom should I first preach the Dharma? Who will understand this Dharma quickly?“ Then he decided: “Udraka Ramaputra is wise, intelligent and discerning with little dust in his eyes. I will teach the Dharma first to Udraka Ramaputra. He will understand it quickly.”  Then several deities approached the Blessed One and said: “Venerable sir! Udraka Ramaputra died yesterday evening.” In the thoughts of the Blessed One a knowledge and vision arose that Udraka Ramaputra had indeed died the previous night. The Blessed One thought: “A noble man was Udraka Ramaputra. If he had heard this Dharma, he would have understood it quickly.” And for a third time the Blessed One thought: “To whom should I first preach the Dharma? Who will understand this Dharma quickly?“ Then he decided: “These Brahmins of the group of five who attended upon me whilst I was engaged in my striving were very helpful. I will teach the Dharma first to them.” Then he thought: “Where are the Brahmins of the group of five now living?” And with the divine eye, which is purified and surpasses the human, he saw that they were living near Benares at Isipatana – the Deer park.  The Blessed One spent the next few days in contemplation, under the tree where he had achieved the final liberation. Then he spent a few more days close to the Bodhi tree, reflecting upon the law of cause and effect. The news about the sramana, a glowing form beneath the big tree, had reached Uruvela and its surroundings. Two brothers Tapussa and Bhalika, wealthy merchants, travelling to Rajagaha with five hundred carts full with goods, heard the news of the holy sramana. They decided to visit him and serve him a meal. They found the holy sramana sitting in peace under the tree rajayatana, near the big Bodhi tree. Impressed by his appearance the two merchants brought before him barley, porridge and honey.  Having stayed near the Bodhi for as long as he considered necessary, the Supreme One headed northwest to Benares. On the way to Gaya he met Upaka, who belonged to niggantha – free from fetters. Upaka stopped and, impressed, he asked: “Friend, your faculties are clear, the colour of your skin is pure and bright. Under whom have you gone forth, friend? Who is your teacher? Whose Dharma do you profess?”. The Supreme One replied:   “I am one who has transcended all, a knower of all, Unsullied among all things, renouncing all, By craving’s ceasing freed. Having known this all For myself, to whom should I point as teacher?   I have no teacher, and one like me Exists nowhere in the world With all its devas, because I have No person for my counterpart.   For I am the Arahant in the world, I am the teacher supreme. I alone am a Perfectly Enlightened One, Whose fires are quenched and extinguished.   I go now to Isipatana near the city of Benares To set in motion the wheel of Dharma. In a world that has become blind I go to beat the drum of the Deathless”.    Upaka remained silent for a moment and then said: “By your claims, friend, you ought to be the universal victor?”. The Blessed One replied:   “The victors are those like me Who have won the destruction of influences. I have vanquished all evil states, Therefore, Upaka, I am a victor”.   When this was said, Upaka stated: “May it be so, friend, may it be so”.
  He shook his head and departed, taking a byway. The Perfect One also continued on his way. After thirty days wandering he reached the Great River. Soon after he reached Isipatana, the Deer park, near Benares.


                        

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