Vimanavatthu1.16

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1.16 SIRIMA'S MANSION (16)

(Sirima-vimana)

The Bhagava(Lord Buddha) was dwelling at Rajagaha, at the squirrels' feeding place in Bamboo Grove. And at that time Sirima, the courtesan mentioned above in the preceding Story, had abandoned her impure profession because of her attainment of the of the fruit(benefit) of stream-entry(sotapana, first stage of spiritual awakening) and had begun to give alms daily to eight members of the Order(of monks) chosen by ticket. From the beginning, eight monks came daily to her house, Saying such things, as, "Have some ghee(clarified butter), have some milk, " she would fill their bowls. The amount one person got was enough for three or four. Every day food worth sixteen kahapanas(bronze coins) was given as alms. Now one day a monk had enjoyed the meal for Eight at her house, and went to a monastery three yojanas away. Now, that evening, as he was sitting in attendance upon the Elders, they asked him," Friend, where did you get food from just before you came here?" Monk," I partook of the Meal for Eight from Sirima." Elders,"Did Sirima give food that she had made appetizing?" Monk, "I simply cannot describe her meal. She give food that she had made most sumptuous.  What one alone got was enough for three or four.  But even more excellent than the alms she gave was here appearance, for she has beauty of such and such a sort. . . " And he described her charms.

Now when one of the monks had heard the account of her charms, although he had not seen her, by merely hearing about her he fell in love, and thinking to himself, "I want to go and see her," he spoke of the number of rain-residenses(spent by him), and questioned a monk about his standing in the Order(of monks). When he heard him say, "Tomorrow, friend, as you are the senior most Elder, You will be able to receive a Meal for Eight," taking bowl and robe that very moment, and setting out at dawn, he entered that ticket-room, and being the senior most Elder received a meal for Eight in Sirima's house.

But at the very moment when the monk who had dined the day before had gone away a disease arose in Sirima's body. So she took off her ornaments and lay down. Then her serving women, seeing that the monks had come to receive the Meal for Eight, told her. Unable to take the Bowls with her own hand or invite the monks to be seated, she gave orders to her serving women saying, "Women, take the bowls, invite the reverend gentlemen to be seated, give them gruel to drink, serve them with hard food and when it is time for the main meal, fill their bowls and give them to them, they did so. She said, "Put your arms around me and lead me in. I will greet the reverend gentlemen, "and supported by them she was led into the presence of the monks and greeted them, her body shaking. When the monk (who had fallen in love with her) saw her he thought, "Even though ill this woman has radiant beauty, so when she is in health, decked in all her adornments, what must her beauty be like?"  and defilement that had been accumulating for many crores(x10 million)  of years past beset him.  He became distraught, and being unable to eat his rice, tool his bowl  and went to the monastery, covered the bowl put it one side, a spread out a corner of his robe and lay down.  Then even though a fellow-monk entreated him, he could not, eat he went without food.

In the evening of that very day Sirima died. the king(Bimbisara) sent a message to the Teacher(Buddha), "Reverend sir, Sirima, the youngest sister of Jivaka, has died." When the Teacher(Buddha) heard it he sent a message to the king, "Sirima's body is not to be cremated. Have her set down in the place of the unburned bodies and keep guard so that crows and so forth may not eat her." The king did so. Three days passed in succession, and on the fourth day the body swelled up. From the nine apertures maggots oozed forth The entire body was like a pot of broken rice. The king had a proclamation drummed through the town, "For everyone who does not go to see Sirima, except the children who should be protected indoors,  a fine of eight kahapanas(bronze coins). " And he sent a message to the Teacher(Buddha):"Let the Order(of monks) with the Buddha at the head come to Look at Sirima." the Teacher(Buddha) announced to the monks, "We will go to look at Sirima." The young monk had lain for four days paying no heed to what anyone said, and without any food at all. Even though the food in his bowl turned putrid, he did not rise. Now a fellow monk went up to him saying, "friend, the Teacher(Buddha) is going to see Sirima," and at the very mention of the world "Sirima" the young monk, though overcome by hunger, got up quickly."The Teacher(Buddha) is going to see Sirima, will you go too?" his fellow monk asked. "I will go" he said, and throwing away the rice, he washed the bowl and went with the order(of monks). The Teacher(Buddha) surrounded by the Order(of monks) stood in one group. the order. The Order of nuns, the king's court, and the crowd of lay-devotees each stood severally in groups by themselves. The Teacher(Buddha) asked the king, "Great King, who is she?" King,"Sir, this is the sister of Jivaka, Sirima by name." Buddha, "Is this Sirima?" King,"It is, Sir", Buddha,"Well then, have a proclamation drummed through the town that anyone may have Sirima for a thousand Kahapanas(bronze coins)." The king had this done. There was not even one who so much as said "Yes" Or "No". The king said to the Teacher(Buddha), "Reverend Sir, no one accepts." Buddha,"Well then, Great King, lower the price." The king had the proclamation drummed, "For five hundred take her!" When he saw no taker, he had the proclamation drummed, "Take Sirima for two hundred and fifty," "For two hundred," "for one hundred," "for fifty," "For twenty-five kahapanas(bronze coins)," "for ten," "for one," " For a half," " A quarter," " A masaka," " For a kakanika, ," " and at last he had the proclamation drummed," Take her for nothing". Even then there was no one who said so much as "Yes" or "No" to the offer. The king said, "Reverand Sir, there is no one who will take her even for nothing." The Teacher(Buddha) said, "See, O monks, a woman greatly loved by the world. In this very city formerly they gave a thousand kahapanas(bronze coins) for one day with her, now there is no one who will have her even for nothing. Such is beauty, full of corruption and decay, made attractive only by adornments placed upon it, a mass of sores by reason of the nine festering orifices, held together by three hundred bones, forever ailing, the topic of many a thought because the foolish world contemplates on it, a non-lasting body." And to teach this he recited the verse:

"Look at the painted puppet(human body), a mass of sores, a thing compounded, Ailing, the object of many a thought. It has no lasting stability."

At the end of the Teaching, the monk who had been in love with Sirima became devoid of his passion of infatuation. He developed insight and achieved arahantship(final enlightenment equal to Buddha). Eighty-four thousand human beings realized Dhamma (path of eternal truth).

(Sirima goes to heaven).At that time Sirima, becoming that deva (angel)-maiden, had contemplated her success and prosperity, and as she was contemplating the place from which she had come she saw the Bhagava(Lord Buddha) surrounded by the Order of monks and the crowd or people all assembled beside her own body. And surrounded by her five hundred deva(angel)-maidens with five hundred chariots, she arrived in visible form, descended from her chariot, paid homage to the Bhagava(Lord Buddha) with her retinue(attendants group) and stood in an attitude of devotion, At that time the venerable Elder Monk Vanagisa was standing near the Bhagava(Lord Buddha). He said to the Bhagava(Lord Buddha), "O Bhagava(Lord Buddha), I should like to ask a question." "Do so, Vangisa," the Bhagava(Lord Buddha) said. The venerable Elder Monk Vangisa put to Sirima, the deva(angel)-maiden, the Following question:

1 "Your yoked steeds superbly adorned, downward through the sky are heading, powerful, swift, and five hundred chariots, created (by your own deed or merit,), accompany you, their steeds urged on by charioteers.

2 Adorned you stand in a glorious chariot, shining, of flawless glorious form, from which class of beings you come to approach the unsurpassed (Buddha)."

Thus questioned by the Elder, the devata(angel) explained about herself:

3 "That which, they say, is the supreme (class) of those who have reached the heights of desire, (where) are the devatas who ever delight in creating, from that class of being, a nymph who assumes any form at will, have I come here to reverence the unsurpassed(Buddha).

When the devi(angel) had thus explained her appearance among the devas(angels) who delight in creating, then the Elder wanted her to tell about her former state of existence, the deed of merit she had done, and her religious faith.

4 "What good conduct did you formerly perform here? Because of what are you of boundless glory, thriving in happiness, and have the unsurpassed psychic potency(power) of going through air and your beauty shines forth over the ten quarters(directions)?

5 You are surrounded and esteemed by devas(angels). From where have your deceased, devata(angel), that you are come to a good destination? Or to whose instruction were you obedient? Tell me if you were a disciple of the Buddha.

Speaking of the matter asked about by the Elder, the devata(angel) spoke these verses:

6 "In a glorious well-planned city(Rajagaha) on a ,mountain,(I was) the attendant on a glorious illustrious king(Bimbisara), I was highly trained in dance and song.  In Rajagaha they knew me as Sirima.

7 And the Buddha, foremost of seers, guider away, taught me of origin of suffering, (which are) impermanent; the unconditioned\unchanging, the ceasing of suffering, (which are) eternal, and about this Way, not crooked, direct, auspicious.

8 When I had heard of the undying state(eternal state of nibbana), the unconditioned/unchanging, the teaching of the unsurpassed Tathagata(Buddha), I was most highly self-controlled in the practice of morality(sheel), (and) established in the Dhamma(path of eternal truth/righteousness) taught by the Buddha, the glorious man.

9 When I knew of that stainless state (of nirvana), the unconditioned/unchanging, taught by the unsurpassed Tathagata(Buddha), then I myself reached equanimous-trance state(samatha samadhi) of calmness. The highest assurance, was mine indeed.

10 When I had acquired the undying state(eternal state of nibbana) distinct, assured, eminent in penetration, without perplexities. I am honoured by many, I experience considerable amusements and enjoyments (in heaven).

11 Thus I am a devata(angel) seeing the undying, a disciple of the unsurpassed Tathagata(Buddha), one who sees Dhamma(path of eternal truth), is established in the first fruit(benefit), (that of) stream-entry(sotapana, first stage of spiritual awakening), and not again is there a bad destination (for me)

12 With respect toward the illustrious king under Dhamma(path of eternal truth), I approached to honour the unsurpassed one, and to reverence the gracious monks who delight in what is righteous, an auspicious gathering of monks.

13 Joyous at heart was I, elated, when I saw the sage, Tathagata(Buddha), glorious man, charioteer of the tameable, cutter of of craving, delighting in what is righteous, guider away. I honour the supremely merciful, the compassionate one(The Buddha).

Thus Sirima, the deva(angel)-maiden, by way of a formal declaration of the faith she had accepted, declared her faith in the Three Jewels(Trinity, the Buddha, Dhamma(path), Order of monks); she paid reverence to the Bhagava(Lord Buddha) and the Order(of monks), and having made ceremonial circuit about them, went back to the deva(angel)-world itself. The Bhagava(Lord Buddha) made her descent (from the deva(angel)-world) the occasion for a discourse and taught Dhamma(path of eternal truth), At the end of the discourse the monk who had longed for Sirima attained arahantship(final enlightenment equal to Buddha), and the discourse was of benefit to the whole assemble too.