Buddha's Life # 8 Buddha's Compassion Power and Wisdom

Recorded on pilgrimage, Ajahn reads from suttas in the ancient Jetavana Monastery. The suttas illustrate Lord Buddha's extraordinary depth of abilities.

Transcript

So this morning here in Jetavana,

I'd like to talk about three separate occasions in the life of the Buddha,

Where in a way three different types of miracles.

Lord Buddha appreciated the miracle of teaching most,

And he demonstrates his abilities in the stories that I will read.

But also there's an occasion where he demonstrates the extent of the psychic power of a Buddha.

So the first story is a little bit humorous,

But it has a profound ending.

The second story is sad,

A sad story,

But it has a profound ending also.

And the third story is fantastic really.

But let's start with the story of Nanda.

Nanda is a bhikkhu.

He's the son of Mahapajapati Bhikkhuni,

The cousin of Lord Buddha.

And thus I heard on one occasion the Blessed One was living at Savati in Jeta's Grove,

In Natapindika's Park.

The venerable Nanda,

The son of the Blessed One's maternal aunt,

Told a number of bhikkhus,

Friends,

I am leading the holy life dissatisfied.

I cannot carry on with the holy life.

I shall announce the training and return to what I abandoned.

Just to mention one of the reasons I decided to read these stories is because they're very human.

We hear these fantastic stories of people becoming stream-enterers,

The first teaching that they hear.

His own mum,

Mahapajapati,

Became a stream-enterer when the Buddha visited his dad,

King Suddhodana,

And she became a stream-enterer.

Can you imagine the Buddha's your cousin,

Your mum's an Arahant,

And he's struggling with the holy life here in Savati?

Those bhikkhus went to the Blessed One and told him this.

The Blessed One said to a bhikkhu,

Come bhikkhu,

Tell the bhikkhu Nanda in my name.

The teacher calls you friend.

Even so,

Lord,

The bhikkhu replied,

And he went to the venerable Nanda and gave him the message.

The venerable Nanda went to the Blessed One who asked him,

Nanda,

Is it true,

As it seems,

That you are leading the holy life dissatisfied,

That you cannot carry on the holy life,

And that you were renounced the training and go back to what you abandoned?

Yes,

Lord,

But Nanda,

Why is this?

Lord,

When I left to renounce the house life,

The Sakyan beauty,

Janapada Kalyani,

Gazed after me with her hair partly held back,

And she said,

Come back soon,

Prince.

When I remember that,

I lead the holy life dissatisfied.

Then the Blessed One took the venerable Nanda by the arm,

And as quickly as a strong man might extend his flexed arm or flex his extended arm,

They vanished in Jeta's grove and appeared among the deities of the Thirty-Three,

Dhava,

Timsa,

And Heaven.

Now on that occasion,

Five hundred nymphs with Dove's feet had come to wait upon Saka,

Ruler of gods.

The Blessed One asked the venerable Nanda,

Nanda,

Do you see those five hundred nymphs with Dove's feet?

Yes,

Lord.

What is your opinion,

Nanda?

Which is more lovely,

More beautiful,

More alluring,

The Sakyan beauty,

Janapada Kalyani,

Or these five hundred nymphs with Dove's feet?

Lord,

The Sakyan beauty,

Janapada Kalyani,

Is like a scolded she-monkey with her nose and ears locked off,

Compared to these five hundred nymphs with Dove's feet.

She does not count at all.

She is nothing like them.

There is no comparison whatsoever.

These five hundred nymphs are infinitely more lovely and beautiful and alluring.

Then enjoy the holy life,

Nanda.

Enjoy it,

And I guarantee your obtaining five hundred nymphs with Dove's feet.

Lord,

If the Blessed One guarantees my obtaining that,

Then I shall enjoy the holy life.

Then the Blessed One took the Venerable Nanda by the arm,

And as before they vanished in the heaven of the Thirty-Three,

And reappeared in Jeta's Grove.

Bhikkhus heard,

It seems that the Venerable Nanda is living the holy life for the sake of nymphs,

For it seems that the Blessed One has guaranteed his obtaining five hundred nymphs with Dove's feet.

Then his friends among the Bhikkhus treated him as a hiling who had sold himself.

The Venerable Nanda is a hiling,

It seems,

Who has sold himself,

Since he leads the holy life for the sake of nymphs.

The Blessed One,

It seems,

Has guaranteed his obtaining five hundred nymphs with Dove's feet.

He became humiliated,

Ashamed,

And dismayed at his companion's words.

So he went to dwell alone and withdrawn,

Diligent,

Ardent,

And self-controlled,

Till by realization himself with direct knowledge,

He here and now entered upon and abode in that supreme goal of the holy life for the sake of which clansmen rightly go forth from the house life into homelessness.

He knew directly,

Birth is exhausted,

The holy life has been lived out,

What was to be done has been done,

There is no more of this to come.

And the Venerable Nanda became one of the Arahants.

So you see Lord Buddha's skillful means,

Taking him with the power of his psychic abilities to see celestial maidens who are even more beautiful than human princesses.

So in a way it's using his chilesa to train him in allowing it to become inflated like that and then he became very excited and boasted and then he was embarrassed and ashamed of his chilesa.

So a little bit of shame in the right amount can be very helpful.

Anyway,

Just in case some women are thinking that sounds sexist,

I'm going to read an inspiring story about a woman who became an Arahant.

Good?

Keep it balanced.

Patachara.

This is the sad story with a profoundly happy ending.

Again this is much more human realm.

So Patachara was the beautiful daughter of a very wealthy merchant in Savati.

When she was sixteen years of age her parents had her confined to the top floor of a seven story high mansion where she was surrounded by guards to prevent her from keeping company with young men.

In spite of this precaution she became involved in a love affair with a servant in her parents' house.

When her parents arranged a marriage for her with a young man of equal social standing she decided to elope with her lover.

Having escaped from the tower by disguising herself as a servant girl she met her lover in town and the couple went to live in a village far from Savati.

There the husband owned his living by farming a small plot of land and the young wife had to do all the menial chores which formerly had been performed by her parents' servants.

Thus she reaped the results of her deed.

When she became pregnant she begged her husband to take her back to her parents' house to give birth there for she said one's mother and father always have a soft spot in their hearts for their child and can forgive any wrongdoing.

Her husband refused however,

Afraid that her parents would have him arrested or even killed.

When she realised that he would not yield to her on treaties she decided to go by herself.

So one day while her husband was away at work she slipped out the door and set out down the road towards Savati.

When her husband learned from the neighbours what had happened he followed her and soon caught up with her.

Though he tried to persuade her to return she would not listen to him but insisted on continuing.

Before they could reach Savati the birth pain started and she soon gave birth to a baby son.

Since she had no more reason to go to her parents' house they turned back.

Sometime later Patachara became pregnant a second time.

Again she requested her husband to take her home to her parents.

Again he refused.

And again she took matters into her own hands and started off carrying her son.

When her husband followed her and pleaded with her to return with him she refused to listen.

After they had travelled about half way to Savati a fearful storm arose quite out of season with thunder and lightning and incessant rain.

Just then her birth pain started.

She asked her husband to find her some shelter.

The husband went off to search for material to build a shed.

As he was chopping down some saplings a poisonous snake hidden in an anthill came out and bit him.

Its poison was like molten lava and instantly he fell down dead.

Patachara waited and waited for him but in vain.

Then she gave birth to a second son.

Throughout the night both children terrified by the buffeting of the storm screamed at the top of their lungs.

But the only protection their mother could offer them was her body.

Lean and haggard from her tribulations.

In the morning she placed the newborn baby on her hip,

Gave a finger to the other child and set out upon the path her husband had taken saying,

Come dear child your father has left us.

As she turned the bend in the road she found her husband lying dead,

His body stiff as a board.

She waited and lamented blaming herself for his death and continued on her journey.

After some time they came to the river Achiravati,

On account of the rain the river had swollen and was waist high with a violent current.

Feeling too weak to wade across with both children Patachara left the older boy on the near bank and carried the baby across to the other side.

Then she returned to take the first born across.

When she was in midstream a hawk in search of prey saw the newborn baby.

After staking it for a piece of meat the hawk came swooping down,

Pounced on the child and flew off with the baby in its talons.

While Patachara could only look on helplessly and scream the older boy saw his mother stop in midstream and heard her shouts.

He thought she was calling him and started out for her but as soon as he stepped into the river he was swept off by the turbulent current.

Wailing and lamenting Patachara went on her way half crazed by the triple tragedy that had befallen her.

The loss of her husband and both her sons in a single day but more misfortune lay ahead.

As she approached Savati she met a traveller who was coming out from the city and she asked him about her family.

Ask me about any family in town but that one he told her.

Please don't ask me about that family.

She insisted however and thus he had to speak.

Last night during the terrible storm their house collapsed killing both the elderly couple and their son.

All three were cremated together just a short while ago there he said pointing to a wisp of pale blue smoke swirling up in the distance.

If you look where I'm pointing you can see the smoke from their funeral pyre.

When she saw the smoke instantly Patachara went mad.

She tore off her clothing and ran about naked weeping and wailing.

Both my sons are dead.

My husband on the road lies dead.

My mother and father burn on the funeral pyre.

Those who saw her called her a crazy fool threw rubbish at her and pelted her with clods of earth but she continued on until she reached the outskirts of Savati.

At this time the Buddha was residing at the Jetavana monastery surrounded by a multitude of disciples.

When he saw Patachara at the entrance to the monastery he recognized her as one who was ripe for his message of deliverance.

The lay disciples cried out don't let that crazy woman come here but the master said do not hinder her let her come to me.

When she had drawn near he told her sister regain your mindfulness.

Finally she regained her mindfulness a kindly man threw her his outer cloak.

She put it on and approaching the enlightened one she prostrated herself at his feet and told him her tragic story.

The teacher listened to her patiently with deep compassion and then replied Patachara do not be troubled anymore you have come to one who is able to be your shelter and refuge.

It is not only today that you have met with calamity and disaster but throughout this beginningless round of existence weeping over the loss of sons and others dear to you.

You have shed more tears than the waters of the four oceans.

As he went on speaking about the perils of samsara her grief subsided.

The Buddha then concluded his instructions with the following verses.

The four oceans contain but a little water compared to all the tears that we have shed smitten by sorrow bewildered by pain.

Why a woman are you still heedless.

No sons are there for shelter nor father nor related folk for one sees by the ender kinsmen provide no shelter.

Having well understood this fact the wise man well restrained by virtues quickly indeed should clear the path going to Nibbana.

This exposition of the enlightened one penetrated her mind so deeply that she could completely grasp the impermanence of all conditioned things and the universality of suffering.

By the time the Buddha had finished his discourse it was not a lamenting mad woman that sat at his feet but a stream enterer a Noah of the Dharma one assured of final liberation.

Immediately after attaining stream entry Patachara requested the going forth and the higher ordination and the blessed one sent her to the Bhikkhunis.

After entering the Bhikkhuni Sangha the order of nuns Patachara practiced the Dharma with great diligence.

Her efforts soon bore fruit and she attained her goal.

She describes her development in her verses in a teri-gata.

Plowing the field with their plows sowing seeds upon the ground maintaining their wives and children young men acquire wealth.

And why when I am pure in virtue practicing the masters teaching have I not attained Nibbana for I am not lazy nor puffed up.

Having washed my feet I reflected upon the waters when I saw the foot water flow from the high ground down the slope my mind became concentrated like an excellent thoroughbred steed.

Having taken a lamp I entered my cell I inspected the bed and sat down on the couch then having taken a needle I pulled down the wick.

The liberation of the mind was like the quenching of the lamp.

As Patachara observed the water trickling down the slope she noticed that some streams sank quickly into the ground others float down a little farther while others float all the way to the bottom of the slope.

This she recognized was a perfect metaphor for the nature of sentient existence.

Some beings live for a very short time only like her children others live into their adult years like her husband still others live into old age like her parents but just as all the streams of water eventually had to disappear into the soil so death the end maker lays his hand upon all living beings and none can escape his grasp.

When this realization dawned upon Patachara her mind immediately became composed with steady concentration she contemplated conditioned phenomena as impermanent suffering and not self but still in spite of her efforts she could not make the breakthrough to final liberation.

Fatigued she decided to retire for the night when she entered her dwelling and sat down on the bed just as she extinguished the oil lamp all the momentum she had built up through her previous practice bore fruit in a fraction of a second simultaneously with the quenching of the lamp supreme knowledge arose she had reached her goal nirvana the permanent quenching of the fires of greed hatred and delusion.

During her career as a bhikkhuni Patachara achieved the distinction of being designated by the Buddha as the foremost among the bhikkhunis who are experts in the vinyas that's the nuns rules of discipline she was thus the female counterpart of the elder Upali the chief vinyas specialist among the bhikkhus this appointment was a fruition of an ancient aspiration we are told that in the dispensation of the Buddha Padamudra Patachara had seen the teacher assigned to an elder nun the position of preeminence amongst nuns versed in a vinyar and it seemed to her as if he were taking that nun by the arm and admitting her to the garden of delight so she formed her resolve and made this aspiration under a Buddha like you may I become preeminent among nuns versed in the vinyar the Lord Padamudra extending his mind into the future perceived that her aspiration would be fulfilled and gave her the prediction it is perhaps natural that Patachara should have been particularly concerned with discipline since in her earlier years she had experienced so keenly the bitter fruit of reckless behavior in the order of nuns she had learned that intensive training in discipline is indispensable for achieving peace and serenity through her own experience moreover she had acquired a deep understanding of the ways of the human heart and was thus able to help other nuns in their training many of the nuns turned to her for guidance and found great consolation in her advice one example is sinda chanda who expresses her gratitude to Patachara in a verse in a terry guitar the terry guitar is verses of enlightened bikunis because she had compassion for me Patachara gave me the going forth then she gave me an exhortation and enjoined me in the ultimate goal having heard her word I followed her instruction the lady's exhortation was not vain I am fitter free with a triple knowledge so it's a very samsaric but profound story from madness to stream entry it's very human isn't it on one level you have nanda having been born in a palace thinking about princesses that's part of the human experience as well isn't it for people with a lot of good karma then you have this other poor woman who's deluded by her love how many people fall in love and think if they can be with the one they love they'll be happy and that's often the beginning of a sad story samsara but it has a wonderful ending doesn't it and how wonderful that she could come into the jatavana crying like a mad woman and the Buddha's beautiful equanimity and he can see with his psychic power this is where you really see put his psychic powers oh this is going to be one of the foremost nuns let her in he teaches her within a few moments she's gone from a crazy woman to an in first stage of enlightenment I also wanted to mention it good bikunis aren't often mentioned in the sutta pitika obviously they were around so here we have the Buddha recognizing that she was going to be an important person capable of training those women who could be trained and sent her to the bikuni order which obviously was nearby here in savati and so it's a nice story which demonstrates the fact that the bikunis were established and attaining to high distinctions of spiritual realization in this same area the last story it's pretty fantastic but I mention it because it happened in savati and apparently all of the Buddhas display their most supreme psychic feet here in savati I don't know why but it's interesting apparently it's always India where Buddhas become enlightened it's always at that particular site under the birdie tree apparently the first teaching is always in a deer park in Isipatana and the showing of psychic power is always in savati so I'll just find that text and I'll read what happened after the Buddha established a rule preventing monks from displaying miraculous powers he was challenged by a group of non-Buddhist yogis to a display of his own supernormal powers as a Buddha he was exempt from his own prohibition so he accepted their challenge and stated that he would perform a miracle at the foot of a mango tree so there was the occasion in Nalanda when one lay person was saying to Lord Buddha there are many people in the land with great faith in you and if you have one of your monks display their psychic powers they would have even more faith in you and the Buddha actually said on that occasion I don't like displays of psychic powers the miracle that he held in highest esteem was the miracle of teaching but you could see the request was to give rise to more faith of people who already had faith but if we understand that savati in a way is like the center of the mandala it's the Buddha's headquarters he had royal patronage he had the patronage of millionaires and tens of thousands of people were becoming Arahants but you could imagine that leaders of other sects and members of other sects that there would have been competition and there would have been jealousy and many of those people would have been very intelligent capable of debating with logic and so if you have another order finding fault with the Buddha or publicly doubting his abilities you can see that that's a different kind of a challenge it's not asking the Lord Buddha to to show off it's a challenge they're actually picking a fight and I think it's appropriate in the headquarters in the center of the mandala if someone comes and picks a fight it would seem to be suitable and appropriate for the Lord Buddha to show them that he has mastered psychic powers and is fully accomplished so he did what apparently only Buddhas can do and he did it here in Savati tomorrow when we leave on our way to Lumbini we'll actually stop off for a few minutes at the place of the twin miracle if anybody wants to perfect the psychic powers of a Buddha you can make your aspiration there so those people who had challenged him because the Buddha said he would perform his miracle at the foot of a mango tree to keep him from proceeding his opponent uprooted all the mango trees in the vicinity leading the Buddha to cause a great tree to grow spontaneously from a mango seed that was the first part of the miracle put the seed down and it grew into a great tree right before their eyes then the Buddha created a bejeweled walkway in the sky he proceeded to walk backwards and forwards on it then he caused flames to emerge from the upper part of his body streams of water from the lower part then water from the upper part and flames from the lower part then flames from the right side and water from the left side then from his front and back his right eye and left eye his right ear and left ear etc then he created a double of himself with whom he had a conversation it is because of the simultaneous presence of fire and water and perhaps because of the creation of this double that the event is called the paired miracle or the twin miracle so there we have it performed in savatthi so we see that this Buddha jewel is multifaceted with his abilities it would have been amazing to see wouldn't it the Buddha floating up in the sky and having a conversation with his double and emanating fire and water and for those who needed to be convinced I suppose it's much more touching isn't it that the Buddha could talk to a crazy woman and establish her in enlightenment that kind of miracle also seems to me more impressive in a way but can you imagine the competition and the Buddhism is spreading all throughout northern India in these two most powerful kingdoms it has royal patronage and so India is a place of ancient tradition so you can imagine these other schools spiritual lineages and traditions losing followers losing supporters and these bhikkhus and bhikkhunis going everywhere and receiving more and more support you could understand that there would be it would be appropriate for Lord Buddha to demonstrate look I'm the real deal I don't just teach people how to be enlightened I have mastered every spiritual quality so he showed them his stuff so just sharing with you a few things that occurred in and around savati for your consideration and this evening we will explore the life and times of we suck down

Reviews

Powerful (and one funny) stories. always good to learn about the order of women.

Beautiful enlightenment

These stories are helping me through a tentative time. TY!

So grateful for these amazing stories of Lord Buddha 💐💐💐

Colorful stories, hard to believe as completely true. Enjoyed them thoroughly,thank you.

I love listening to these talks! So much wisdom to carry with you in daily life.🙏 Thank you.

Very interesting thank you

Enjoyable story. Always interesting to hear of the little stories that make up the whole of Buddhas life.

Nice to hear - thank you.