by Andy Rotman
“Mother, Father,” he said, “what’s the use of my getting married and settling down?”
“What will you do then, Brahmaprabha?” they said.
“I want to undergo austerities and perform difficult deeds for the benefit of many beings,” he said.
“Brahmaprabha,” they said, “do as you see fit.”535
The young brahman Brahmaprabha placed his head in veneration at his parents’ feet, circumambulated them three times, left the capital Utpalāvātī, and approached a forest. At that time in the forest there lived two brahman seers. The two brahman seers saw the young brahman Brahmaprabha coming from a distance, and upon seeing him, they said this to him: “Come, Brahmaprabha. Welcome! You must be tired and exhausted. Why have you come to this forest?”
“I want to undergo austerities and perform difficult deeds for the benefit of all sentient beings,” he said.
“Very well, then,” they said. “As you wish. May you have success in all that you desire, and may your wishes be fulfilled.”
Then the young brahman Brahmaprabha built a hut in a certain place, established a walkway for meditation, and underwent austerities for the benefit of sentient beings. One day, not far from Brahmaprabha’s hut, there came to live a pregnant tigress. The young brahman Brahmaprabha saw her, and upon seeing her, he again approached the two brahman seers. Having approached the two brahman seers, he said this to them: “Seers, there is something you should know. Not far from my hut, a pregnant tigress has come to live. Who is willing to give her food?”
“We’ll give her food,” they said.
Then one day the tigress gave birth. Pained and emaciated with hunger, she wanted to eat her two cubs. She let one cub go and took the other, but she didn’t eat him. The young brahman Brahmaprabha saw her, and upon seeing her, he approached the two brahman seers.536 Having approached the two brahman seers, he said this: “Brahmans, there is something you should know. [478] That tigress gave birth, and now pained and emaciated with hunger, she wants to eat her two cubs. She let one go and took the other, but she didn’t eat him. Who is willing to give her food?”
“We’ll give her food,” they said.
Then the two brahman seers approached the tigress. The tigress saw the two brahman seers coming from a distance, and upon seeing them, pained and emaciated with hunger as she was, she wanted to attack them.
Then it occurred to the two of them, “Who is willing to sacrifice one’s life for one who has taken birth as an animal?” So right then, making use of their magical powers, they flew into the air.
The young brahman Brahmaprabha saw those two brahman seers, and upon seeing them, he said this to them: “Well now, brahmans. Both of you said that you would give food to the tiger. Brahmans, is this what truth is for the two of you, brahmans by birth?”
“Who is willing to sacrifice one’s life for one who has taken birth as an animal?” they said.
“I am willing to sacrifice my life for one who has taken birth as an animal,” the young brahman Brahmaprabha said. Then the young brahman Brahmaprabha approached the tigress and threw himself in front of her. Since the young brahman Brahmaprabha abided in the state of loving-kindness, the tigress wasn’t able to attack him.537
Then it occurred to the young brahman Brahmaprabha, “This tigress can’t eat my body while it’s still alive.” He looked here and there and then grabbed a very sharp sliver of bamboo538 and made this vow of truth: “Pay attention to me! All those who live in this forest, even the eminent gods, nāgas, antigods, heavenly birds, kinnaras, and great snakes, should pay attention. I will make a sacrifice, a great sacrifice, a sacrifice superior to other sacrifices—that is, a complete sacrifice of my own throat. This complete sacrifice that I make is not for royal power, not for personal pleasure, not for becoming another Śakra, and not for the dominion of a wheel-turning king. It is for no other reason than that I may attain unsurpassed perfect awakening and so subdue the unsubdued, help to cross over those who have not crossed over, liberate the unliberated, console the unconsoled, and enable those to reach final nirvāṇa who have not reached final nirvāṇa. By this truth, this vow of truth, may my sacrifice not be in vain.”539 With that said, he slit his throat and threw himself down before the tigress.540 [479]
As he was being mauled by the play of the tigress’s claws
and his body was covered with goosebumps,
it looked541 for a moment as if his wounded542 chest
had the luminous nature of the moon
and sprouted fulsome rays of light.
As he joyfully543 watched the tigress
madly seize his flesh and drink his blood,
his life-breath was disturbed
at the outset of the long journey ahead
and lingered for a moment, clutching at his throat.544
Monks, as soon as the young brahman Brahmaprabha sacrificed his throat, the billionfold world-system teetered, tottered, and tremored; quivered, quavered, and quaked; shifted, shuddered, and shook.
The east rose up and the west sank down.
The west rose up and the east sank down.
The south rose up and the north sank down.
The north rose up and the south sank down.
The middle rose up and the ends sank down.
The ends rose up and the middle sank down.
And the sun and the moon neither blazed, shined, nor illuminated.
Coda
“You may have [some doubt or uncertainty],545 monks, as to the identity of the capital city called Utpalāvatī in the outskirts of the North Country at that time. Ponder no further. At that time and at that juncture what is now Puṣkalāvata (Abundance)546 was the capital city called Utpalāvatī.547
“You may have some doubt or uncertainty, monks, as to the identity of the woman named Rūpāvatī in the capital city of Utpalāvatī at that time and at that juncture. Ponder no further. At that time and at that juncture I was the woman named Rūpāvatī.
“You may have some doubt or uncertainty, monks, as to the identity of the woman who gave birth in the birthing room at that time and at that juncture. Ponder no further. At that time and at that juncture the young lady Candraprabhā was the woman who gave birth in the birthing room.548
“You may have some doubt or uncertainty, monks, as to the identity of the infant boy at that time and at that juncture. Ponder no further. [480] At that time and at that juncture Prince Rāhula was the boy.
“You may have some doubt or uncertainty, monks, as to the identity of the boy named Candraprabha at that time and at that juncture. Ponder no further. At that time and at that juncture I myself was the boy named Candraprabha.
“You may have some doubt or uncertainty, monks, as to the identity of the five hundred boys at that time and at that juncture. Ponder no further. At that time and at that juncture these virtuous ones here now were those five hundred boys.
“You may have some doubt or uncertainty, monks, as to the identity of the bird named Uccaṅgama in that great cremation ground at that time and at that juncture. Ponder no further. At that time and at that juncture the monk Kauṇḍinya was the bird named Uccaṅgama.
“You may have some doubt or uncertainty, monks, as to the identity of the young brahman named Brahmaprabha at that time and at that juncture. Ponder no further. At that time and at that juncture I myself was the young brahman named Brahmaprabha.
“You may have some doubt or uncertainty, monks, as to the identity of the parents of the young brahman Brahmaprabha at that time and at that juncture. Ponder no further. At that time and at that juncture King Śuddhodana and [Queen] Māyādevī were the parents of the young brahman Brahmaprabha.
“You may have some doubt or uncertainty, monks, as to the identity of the forest at that time and at that juncture. [Ponder no further. At that time and at that juncture . . . was the forest.]549
“You may have some doubt or uncertainty, monks, as to the identity of the two brahman seers at that time and at that juncture
. Ponder no further. At that time and at that juncture the Bodhisattva Maitreya and the Buddha Suprabha (Radiant) were the two brahman seers in the forest.
“You may have some doubt or uncertainty, monks, as to the identity of the tigress at that time and at that juncture. Ponder no further. At that time and at that juncture the monk Kauṇḍinya was the [tigress].550 [481]
“You may have some doubt or uncertainty, monks, as to the identity of the two tiger cubs at that time and at that juncture. Ponder no further. At that time and at that juncture the monk Ānanda and [Prince] Rāhula were the two tiger cubs.
“At that time, monks, I surpassed the bodhisattva Maitreya, who had set out forty ages ago, with a single sacrifice of my throat.551 Hence, monks, in this way one should know the following:
“If all beings were to know the result of charity and the consequence of offering charity as I know the result of charity and the consequence of offering charity, then they would never eat the very last remaining morsel of food552 all by themselves without giving it away or sharing it with others. And the stingy thoughts that arise would not seize hold of their minds. But monks, those beings who do not know the result of charity and the consequence of offering charity [as I know the result of charity and the consequence of offering charity]553 eat the very last remaining morsel of food554 all by themselves without giving it away or sharing it with others.555 And the stingy thoughts that arise do seize hold of their minds.
He who doesn’t see556 what is put before him,557
nor good and bad, nor services rendered,
who doesn’t see his duty to the wise
nor to the noble community—
he shall perish.
But what is done, both good and bad,
never perishes among the grateful.
A good deed done well
and an evil deed done maliciously
will both inevitably mature
and bear fruit.”558
This was said by the Blessed One. With their minds uplifted, monks, nuns, male and female lay devotees, gods, nāgas, yakṣas, antigods, heavenly birds, kinnaras, great snakes, and the entire assembly rejoiced at the words of the Blessed One.
So ends the Rūpāvatī-avadāna, the thirty-second chapter in the glorious Divyāvadāna.
34. The Mahāyāna Sūtra on the Topic of Giving
DĀNĀDHIKARAṆA-MAHĀYĀNASŪTRA559
PRAISE to the Three Jewels!
Thus have I heard. At one time the Blessed One [482] was staying in the city of Śrāvastī at the Jeta Grove in the park of Anāthapiṇḍada (Almsgiver to the Poor), together with a large community of monks. There [the Blessed One]560 addressed the monks: “Monks, a wise person offers gifts in thirty-seven ways.561
1.At the right time he gives a gift that is approved by the Tathāgatha. He gives a gift that is appropriate, with the three bases fully purified.562
2.He gives a gift with respect to remove all faults and confusion.
3.He gives a gift with his own hand to acquire something worthwhile from a worthless body.
4.He gives a large gift,563 which results in his enjoying the pleasures of a great sacrifice.
5.He gives a handsome gift, which results in his becoming attractive.564
6.He gives a fragrant gift, which results in his becoming fragrant.
7.He gives a tasty gift, which results in his obtaining a perfect sense of taste.
8.He gives a fine gift, which results in his obtaining fine pleasures.
9.He gives an extensive gift, which results in his obtaining extensive pleasures.
10.He gives a gift of food, which results in his being free from the cravings of hunger.565
11.He gives a gift of drink, which results in his being free from thirst in all lives to come.
12.He gives a gift of clothing, which results in his enjoying excellent clothing.
13.He gives a gift of shelter, which results in his having excellent summer chambers, penthouses, palaces, residences, floating mansions, gardens, and parks.
14.He gives a gift of a bed, which results in his enjoying himself in a well-to-do family.
15.He gives a gift of a vehicle, which results in his obtaining the [four] bases of success.
16.He gives a gift of medicine, which results in his attaining nirvāṇa that is free from old age, death, grief, and painful hindrances.
17.He gives a gift of dharma, which results566 in his recollecting former lives.
18.He gives a gift of flowers, which results in his obtaining the flowers of the [seven] factors of awakening.
19.He gives a gift of a garland, which results in his being purified567 from attachment, hate, and delusion.
20.He gives a gift of perfume, which results in his rebirth in pleasurable realms suffused with divine smells.
21.He gives a gift of incense, which results in the destruction of foul and bad-smelling odors.
22.He gives a gift of an umbrella, which results in his lordship and dominion in the dharma.
23.He gives a gift of a bell, which results in his having a beautiful voice.
24.He gives a gift of a musical instrument, [483] which results in his having a Brahmā-like voice.
25.He gives a gift of fine cloth, which results in his being crowned with fine cloth [as a diadem] and being consecrated by gods and humans.568
26–28.He gives a gift of bathing the shrines of the Tathāgatha and images of the Tathāgatha with fragrant water, which results in his having the thirty-two marks of a great man as well as the eighty minor marks.569
29.He gives a gift of a sūtra,570 which results in his taking rebirth in acceptable families in all his births to come and instilling faith all around.
30.He gives a gift of the five essences,571 which results in his having great strength in all his lives to come.
31.He gives a gift out of loving-kindness,572 which results in the destruction of ill will.
32.He gives a gift out of compassion, which results in his obtaining great happiness.573
33.He gives a gift out of joy, which results in his obtaining joy and bliss at all times.574
34.He gives a gift out of equanimity, which results in the destruction of discontent.
35.He gives a gift that is diverse and variegated, which results in his obtaining a variety and multitude of diverse pleasures.
36.He gives a gift that is the complete sacrifice of all his wealth,575 which results in his obtaining unsurpassed perfect awakening.
“In these thirty-seven ways, monks, a wise person gives a gift.”
This was said by the Blessed One. With their minds uplifted, those monks rejoiced at the words of the Blessed One.
So ends the Dānādhikaraṇa-mahāyānasūtra, [the thirty-fourth chapter] in the glorious Divyāvadāna.
35. The Story of a Lonesome Fool
CŪḌĀPAKṢA-AVADĀNA576
Panthaka, Mahāpanthaka, and Their Paths to Arhatship
THE LORD BUDDHA was staying in the city of Śrāvastī at the Jeta Grove in the park of Anāthapiṇḍada (Almsgiver to the Poor).
Now in Śrāvastī there lived a certain brahman. He brought home a girl from an appropriate family as his wife, and with her he fooled around, enjoyed himself, and made love. Yet every child he had would die.
One day his wife became pregnant again. With cheek in hand, he sat lost in thought. Not far from him there lived an old midwife.577 [484] She saw him and said, “Brahman, why do you sit there, with cheek in hand, lost in thought?”
“Every child I have dies,” he said, “and now my wife has become pregnant again. She’ll give birth to another child who will die as well.”
“Call on me when it’s time for your wife to give birth,” she said.
When the time arrived for his wife to give birth, he called on the midwife, and she delivered the child.578 A son was born. She bathed the boy, dressed him in white clothes, filled his mouth with fresh butter, and placed him in the young mother’s hands.
“Hold this boy a
t the main crossroads [in the city],” she said to the young woman. “Tell whatever brahman or ascetic you see that this boy venerates the feet [of noble ones].579 If he’s still alive when the sun has set, take him and come back here. If he’s dead, he should be left right there.”580
So she took him, went to the main crossroads, and stood there.
Now it is the practice of non-Buddhist renunciants to get up at dawn and take ritual baths in sacred waters. The young woman, with respect and courtesy, venerated their feet and said, “This boy venerates the feet of noble ones.”
“May he live long,581 keep safe into old age, and fulfill the desires of his mother and father,” they said.
Later in the morning some very senior monks got dressed, took their bowls and robes, and entered Śrāvastī for alms. The young woman, with respect and courtesy, venerated their feet and said, “This boy venerates the feet of noble ones.”
“May he live very long, keep safe into old age, and fulfill the desires of his mother and father,” the senior monks said.
In the morning the Blessed One also got dressed, took his bowl and robe, and entered Śrāvastī for alms. The young woman, with respect and courtesy, venerated his feet and said, “Blessed One, this boy venerates the Blessed One’s feet.”
“May he live long, keep safe into old age, and fulfill the desires of his mother and father,” the Blessed One said.
In the evening twilight, she saw that her son was still alive. She took him and went back home.
“Is the boy alive?” they all asked her.
“He’s alive,” she said. [485]
“Where was he held?” they asked.
“On the main road.”582
“What should the boy’s name be?” they asked each other.
“The boy was held on the main road, so let the boy’s name be Mahāpanthaka (Highwayman).”