Mahavagga 8.15

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Adapted from the Translation by T. W. Rhys Davids and Hermann Oldenberg

MAHAVAGGA

EIGHTH KHANDHAKA (THE DRESS OF THE BHIKKHUS)

Chapter-15.

1. Now when the Lord Buddha had remained at Benares as long as he thought fit, he went onwards on his journey toward Savatthi. And in due course journeying 'straight on he arrived at Savatthi; and there, at Savatthi, he stayed at the Jetavana, Anatha-pindika's Arama(Monastery). And Visakha the mother of Migara went up to the place where the Lord Buddha was; and when she had come there, she saluted the Lord Buddha, and took her seat on one side. And the Lord Buddha taught Visakha the mother of Migara seated thus: and encouraged, and roused, and gladdened her with dhamma discourse. And Visakha the mother of Migara when she had been thus taught, &c., spoke thus to the Lord Buddha: 'Will my Lord the Lord Buddha consent to accept his morrow's meal at my hands, together with the company of the Bhikkhus?' The Lord Buddha, by remaining silent, granted his consent; and Visakha the mother of Migara, perceiving that the Lord Buddha had consented, rose from her seat, and saluted the Lord Buddha, and keeping him on her right side as she passed him, she departed from there.

2. Now at that time, when the night was far spent, there was a great storm of rain over the whole world. And the Lord Buddha said to the Bhikkhus:

'Just as it is raining in the Jetavana, O Bhikkhus, so is it raining over the whole world. Let yourselves, O Bhikkhus, be rained down upon, for this is the last time there will be a mighty storm of rain over the whole world.'

'Even so, Lord,' said those Bhikkhus in assent to the Lord Buddha; and throwing off their robes they let themselves be rained down upon.

3. And Visakha the mother of Migara having provided sweet food, both hard and soft, gave command to a slave girl, saying,

'Go you to the Arama(Monastery); and when you are there, announce the time, saying, "The time, Sirs, has arrived, and the meal is ready."'

'Even so, my Lady,' said the slave girl in assent to Visakha, the mother of Migara; and going to the Arama(Monastery) she beheld there the Bhikkhus, with their robes thrown off, letting themselves be rained down upon. Then thinking, 'These are not Bhikkhus in the Arama, they are naked ascetics letting the r tin fall on them,' she returned to the place where Visakha the mother of Migara was, and said to her:

There are no Bhikkhus in the Arama(Monastery); there are naked ascetics there, letting the rain fall on themselves.'

Then it occurred to Visakha the mother of Migara--she being learned, expert, and wise--'For a certainty the venerable ones must have thrown off their robes in order to let themselves be rained down upon, and this foolish girl thinks therefore that there are no Bhikkhus in the Arama, but only naked ascetics letting the rain fall on them.' And she again gave command to the slave girl, saying,

'Go you to the Arama; and when you are there, announce the time, saying, "The time, Sirs, has arrived, and the meal is ready."'

4. Now the Bhikkhus when they had cooled their limbs, and were refreshed in body, took their robes, and entered each one into his chamber, When the slave girl came to the Arama, not seeing any Bhikkhus, she thought: 'There are no Bhikkhus in the Arama. The Arama is empty.' And returning to Visakha the mother of Migara she said so.

Then it occurred to Visakha the mother of Migara--she being learned, expert, and wise--'For a certainty the venerable ones, when they had cooled their limbs and were refreshed in body, must have taken their robes, and entered each one into his chamber.' And she again gave command to the slave girl, saying,

'Go you to Arama; and when you are there announce the time, saying, "The time, Sirs, has arrived, and the meal is ready."'

5. And the Lord Buddha said to the Bhikkhus: 'Make yourselves ready, O Bhikkhus, with bowl and robe; the hour for the meal has come.'

'Even so, Lord,' said the Bhikkhus in assent to

the Lord Buddha. And in the morning the Lord Buddha, having put on his under-garment, and being duly bowled and robed, vanished from the Jetavana as quickly as a strong man would stretch forth his arm when it was drawn in, or draw it in again when it was stretched forth, and appeared in the mansion of Visakha the mother of Migara. And the Lord Buddha took his seat on the seat spread out for him, and with him the company of the Bhikkhus.

6. Then said Visakha the mother of Migara: Most wonderful, most marvellous is the might and the power of the Tathagata(Buddha), in that though the floods are rolling on knee-deep, and though the floods are rolling on waist-deep, yet is not a single Bhikkhu wet, as to his feet, or as to his robes.' And glad and exalted in heart she served and offered with her own hand to the company of the Bhikkhus, with the Buddha at their head, sweet food, both hard and soft. And when the Lord Buddha had finished his meal, and had cleansed his hands and the bowl, she took her seat on one side. And, so sitting, she spoke thus to the Lord Buddha:

'Eight are the boons, Lord, which I beg of the Lord Buddha.'

'The Tathagatas, O Visakha, are above granting boons (before they know what they are).'

'Proper, Lord, and unobjectionable are the boons I ask.'

'Speak then, O Visakha.'

7. 'I desire, Lord, my life long to bestow robes

for the rainy season on the Sangha, and food for in-coming Bhikkhus, and food for out-going Bhikkhus, and food for the sick, and food for those who wait upon the sick, and medicine for the sick, and a constant supply of congey, and bathing robes for the nuns.'

'But what circumstance is it, O Visakha, that you have in view in asking these eight boons of the Tathagata(Buddha)?'

'I gave command, Lord, to my slave girl, saying, "Go you to the Arama(Monastery); and when you are there, announce the time, saying, 'The time, Sirs, has arrived, and the meal is ready.'" And the slave girl went, Lord, to the Arama; but when she beheld there the Bhikkhus with their robes thrown off, letting themselves be rained down upon, she thought: "These are not Bhikkhus in the Arama, they are naked ascetics letting the rain fall on them," and she returned to me and reported accordingly. Impure, Lord, is nakedness, and revolting. It was this circumstance, Lord, that I had in view in desiring to provide the Sangha my life long with special garments for use in the rainy season.

8. 'Moreover, Lord, an in-coming Bhikkhu, not being able to take the direct roads, and not knowing the places where food can be procured, comes on his way wearied out by seeking for an alms. But when he has partaken of the food I shall have provided for in-coming Bhikkhus, he will come on his way without being wearied out by seeking for an alms, taking the direct road, and knowing the place where food can be procured. It was this circumstance

that I had in view in desiring to provide the Sangha my life long with food for in-coming Bhikkhus.

'Moreover, Lord, an out-going Bhikkhu, while seeking about for an alms for himself, may be left behind by the caravan, or may arrive too late at the place where he desires to go, and will set out on the road in weariness. But when he has partaken of the food I shall have provided for out-going Bhikkhus, he will not be left behind by the caravan; he will arrive in due time at the place where he desires to go, and he will set out on the road when he is not weary. It was this circumstance, Lord, that I had in view in desiring to provide the Sangha my life long with food for out-going Bhikkhus.

9. 'Moreover, Lord, if a sick Bhikkhu does not obtain suitable foods his sickness may increase upon him, or he may die. But if a Bhikkhu have taken the diet that I shall have provided for the sick, neither will his sickness increase upon him, nor will he die. It was this circumstance, Lord, that I had in view in desiring to provide the Sangha my life long with diet for the sick.

'Moreover, Lord, a Bhikkhu who is waiting upon the sick, if he has to seek out food for himself, may bring in the food (to the invalid) when the sun is already far on his course, and he will lose his

opportunity of taking his food. But when he has partaken of the food I shall have provided for those who wait upon the sick, he will bring in food to the invalid in due time, and he will not lose his opportunity of taking his food. It was this circumstance, Lord, that I had in view in desiring to provide the Sangha my life long with food for those who wait upon the sick.

10. 'Moreover, Lord, if a sick Bhikkhu does not obtain suitable medicines his sickness may increase upon him, or he may die. But if a Bhikkhu have taken the medicines which I shall have provided for the sick, neither will his sickness increase upon him, nor will he die. It was this circumstance, Lord, that I had in view in desiring to provide the Sangha my life long with medicines for the sick.

'Moreover, Lord, the Lord Buddha when at Andhakavinda, having in view the ten advantages of that, allowed the use of congey. It was those advantages I had in view, Lord, in desiring to provide the Sangha my life long with a constant supply of congey.

11. 'Now, Lord, the Bhikkhunis are in the habit of bathing in the river Akiravati with the courtesans, at the same landing-place, and naked. And the courtesans, Lord, ridiculed the Bhikkhunis, saying, "What is the good, ladies, of your maintaining chastity when you are young? are not the

passions things to be indulged? When you are old, maintain chastity then; thus will you be obtainers of both ends." Then the Bhikkhunis, Lord, when thus ridiculed by the courtesans, were confused. Impure, Lord, is nakedness for a woman, disgusting, and revolting. It was this circumstance, Lord, that I had in view in desiring to provide the Bhikkhuni-sangha my life long with dresses to bathe in.'

12. 'But what was the advantage you had in view for yourself, O Visakha, in asking these eight boons of the Tathagata?'

'Bhikkhus who have spent the rainy seasons in various places will come, Lord, to Savatthi, to visit the Lord Buddha. And on coming to the Lord Buddha they will ask, saying, "Such and such a Bhikkhu, Lord, has died. Where has he been re-born, and what is his destiny?" Then will the Lord Buddha explain that he had attained to the fruits of conversion, or of the state of the Sakadagamins, or of the state of the Anagamins, or of Arahatship. And I, going up to them, shall ask, "Was that brother, Sirs, one of those who had formerly been at Savatthi?"

13. 'If they should reply to me, "He had formerly been at Savatthi," then shall I arrive at the conclusion, "For a certainty did that brother enjoy either the robes for the rainy season, or the food for the in-coming Bhikkhus, or the food for the out-going Bhikkhus, or the food for the sick, or the food for those that wait upon the sick, or the

medicine for the sick, or the constant supply of congey." Then will gladness spring up within me on my calling that to mind; and joy will arise to me thus gladdened; and so rejoicing all my frame will be at peace; and being thus at peace I shall experience a blissful feeling of content; and in that bliss my heart will be at rest; and that will be to me an exercise of my moral sense, an exercise of my moral powers, an exercise of the seven kinds of wisdom! This, Lord, was the advantage I had in view for myself in asking those eight boons of the Lord Buddha.'

14. 'It is well, it is well, Visakha. You have done well in asking eight boons of the Tathagata(Buddha) with such advantages in view.'

And the Lord Buddha gave thanks to Visakha the mother of Migara in these verses;

'Whatsoever woman, upright in life, a disciple of the Happy One, gives, glad at heart and overcoming avarice, both food and drink--a gift, heavenly, destructive of sorrow, productive of bliss,--

'A heavenly life does she attain, entering upon the Path that is free from corruption and impurity;

'Aiming at good, happy does she become, and free from sickness, and long does she rejoice in a heavenly body.'

And when the Lord Buddha had given thanks to Visakha the mother of Migara in these verses, he arose from his seat, and departed from there.

15. Then the Lord Buddha on that occasion, after he had delivered a dhamma discourse, addressed the Bhikkhus, and said:

I allow you, O Bhikkhus, garments for the rainy season, and food for in-coming Bhikkhus, and food for out-going Bhikkhus, and diet for the sick, and food for those that wait upon the sick, and medicine for the sick, and a constant supply of congey, and bathing robes for the sisterhood.'

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Here ends the Chapter-called the Visakha-bhanavara.