by Andy Rotman
“Go Rudrāyaṇa,” the Blessed One said. “And keep in mind the fact that your karma is of your own making.”
The venerable Rudrāyaṇa then placed his head in veneration at the Blessed One’s feet and left the Blessed One’s presence. [566]
The very next morning the venerable Rudrāyaṇa got dressed, took his bowl and robe, and entered Rājagṛha for alms. After wandering through Rājagṛha for alms, he ate his meal, and after eating, he returned from his almsround. He then put away the bedding and seat that he had used, collected his bowl and robe, and then was impelled by the force of his karma:
Karma drags one far away,
and it drags one from afar.
It drags a creature to that place
where his karma will mature.
And so the venerable Rudrāyaṇa set out for Roruka. While traveling along, as he gradually made his way there, he entered a market town for alms. After wandering about for alms, he left town and then encountered those assassins. The assassins saw him, and he recognized them. The venerable Rudrāyaṇa then spent a day and a night with those men in the same park.
And then he asked them,
I hope Śikhaṇḍin is in Roruku,
fit and healthy with his retinue,
that he rules his kingdom justly
and no enemy gives him trouble.
“My lord,” they said,
It is true—Śikhaṇḍin is in Roruku,
fit and healthy with his retinue,
and no enemy gives him trouble.
But he always rules unjustly.
Best of men, you did what was befitting to you,
marking the defeat of [karma by] a noble one.1079
But what is befitting to him,
soon you will know, gentle one.1080
“Gentlemen,” the venerable Rudrāyaṇa said, “isn’t Śikhaṇḍin pleased that I’m going there?”
“My lord,” they said, “he isn’t pleased.”
“Gentlemen,” he said, “if that’s the case, I won’t go. I’ll turn back.”
Then they uttered this verse:
Where will you go, hero among men?
Your son is not pleased that you’re alive.
Unfortunate are we, employed by the king,
who have come here to kill you.
The venerable Rudrāyaṇa said, “Gentlemen, are you men my assassins?”
“Yes, my lord. We are assassins.”
He reflected, “The Blessed One said, ‘Rudrāyaṇa, keep in mind the fact that your karma is of your own making.’ [567] This is what he meant by that. Existence is so altogether fleeting.” With this understanding, he said to them, “Gentlemen, I have yet to achieve the goal for which I went forth as a monk. Wait a moment while I fulfill that duty that is encumbent upon me.”1081
They conversed among themselves and then said, “My lord, do as you must.”
Then the venerable Rudrāyaṇa sat at the base of a tree, crossing his legs so that he was curled up like the winding coil of a sleeping snake king, and remained in this peaceful posture.
The Blessed One has said that there are five benefits in having great learning. Such a person is
well versed in the aggregrates,
well versed in the elements,
well versed in the sense bases,
well versed in interdependent arising,
and not dependent on another for instruction or admonition.1082
Having gathered his strength, the venerable Rudrāyaṇa came to understand that ever-turning five-spoked wheel of saṃsāra; he dealt a final blow to rebirth in all realms of saṃsāra, since they are subject to decay and decline, scattering and destruction; and by ridding himself of all defilements, he directly experienced arhatship. Becoming an arhat,
he was free from attachment in the three realms;
he regarded clods of earth and gold as equal in value;
he possessed equanimity toward the sky and the palm of his hand;
he didn’t distinguish between being cut by a blade and being anointed with sandalwood paste;
the eggshell [of his ignorance] was broken by knowledge;
he obtained the special knowledges, superhuman faculties, and analytic insights;
and he was averse to worldly attainments, temptations, and honors.
He became worthy of respect, honor, and obeisance from the gods, including Indra and Upendra.
Having obtained arhatship, the venerable Rudrāyaṇa experienced liberation, pleasure, and joy, at which time he uttered this verse:
Though free from yokes and bonds,
torments and obstacles,
even now the monk Rudrāyaṇa
is not free from the dharma of kings.
With that said, he said to the assassins, “My friends, that which I should achieve I have achieved. Now it is your turn to fulfill the purpose for which you have come here.”
“My lord,” they said, “what should we say if King Śikhaṇḍin asks us, ‘What did the old king pronounce at the time of his death?’”
“My friends, it should be said:
You have earned much demerit
from killing your father for a kingdom.
I will attain final nirvāṇa.
You will go to the Avīci hell.
“And this too should be said: ‘You have committed two deadly sins at once—you have killed your father as well as an arhat monk who had destroyed the corruptions. You will pass a long time in the great hell known as Avīci (Ceaseless Torture). Confess your sin as sin!1083 Maybe then this karma will diminish, give out, and be completely exhausted.’” [568]
Then the venerable Rudrāyaṇa reflected, “I should make use of my magical powers and leave so that this living being1084 [who plans to kill me] won’t end up in hell.” But when he began to make use of his magical powers to escape, karma ruined his plan.1085 Not even an inkling of magical powers appeared to him, let alone magical powers themselves.1086 Then one of those men, who was cruel at heart and who had abandoned any concern for the next world, withdrew a dagger from under his arm, cut off the venerable Rudrāyaṇa’s head, and tossed it to the ground.
Then the Blessed One displayed his smile.
The Buddha’s Smile and a Rain of Dirt
Now it is a law of nature that whenever lord buddhas manifest their smiles, rays of blue, yellow, red, and white light emerge from their mouths, some going downward and some going upward. Those that go downward enter the various hells1087—Sañjīva (Reviving), Kālasūtra (Black Thread), Saṃghāta (Crushing), Raurava (Shrieking), Mahāraurava (Loud Shrieking), Tapana (Heat), Pratāpana (Extreme Heat), Avīci (Ceaseless Torture), Arbuda (Blistering), Nirarbuda (Blisters Bursting), Aṭaṭa (Chattering Teeth), Hahava (Ugh!), Huhuva (Brrr!), Utpala (Blue Waterlily), Padma (Lotus), and Mahāpadma (Great Lotus). Becoming cold, they descend into the hot hells, and becoming hot, they descend into the cold hells. In this way, those rays of light alleviate the particular torments of those beings who dwell in these various hells. And so they think, “Friends, have we died and passed away from this place? Have we been reborn somewhere else?”
Then, in order to engender their faith, the Blessed One manifests a magical image of himself. Seeing this magical image, they think, “Friends, we haven’t died and passed away from this place, nor have we been born someplace else. Instead, it’s this person who we’ve never seen before; it’s by his power that our particular torments are alleviated.” Cultivating faith in their hearts toward this magical image, they then cast off that karma still to be suffered in these hells and take rebirth among gods and humans, where they become vessels for the [four noble] truths.
Those rays of light that go upward enter the various divine realms1088—Cāturmahārājika (Four Groups of the Great Kings), Trāyatriṃśa (Thirty-Three), Yāma (Free from Conflict), Tuṣita (Content), Nirmāṇarati (Delighting in Creation), Paranirmitavaśavartin (Masters of Others’ Creations), Brahmakāyika (Brahmā’s Assembly), Brahmapurohita (Brahmā’
s Priests), Brahmapārṣadya (Brahmā’s Retinue),1089 Mahābrahmaṇa (Great Brahmā), Parīttābha (Limited Splendor), Apramāṇābha (Immeasurable Splendor), Ābhāsvara (Radiant), Parīttaśubha (Limited Beauty), Apramāṇaśubha (Immeasurable Beauty), Śubhakṛtsna (Complete Beauty), Anabhraka (Unclouded), Puṇyaprasava (Merit Born), Bṛhatphala (Great Result), Abṛha (Not Great), Atapa (Serene), Sudṛśa (Clear Sighted), Sudarśa (Good-Looking), and finally Akaniṣṭha (Supreme). There they proclaim the truth of impermanence, suffering, emptiness, and no-self. And they utter these two verses: [569]
Strive! Go forth!
Apply yourselves to the teachings of the Buddha!
Destroy the army of death
as an elephant would a house of reeds.
Whoever diligently follows
this dharma and monastic discipline
will abandon the endless cycle of rebirth
and put an end to suffering.
Then those rays of light, having circulated through the billionfold world-system, come together directly behind the Blessed One.
If the Blessed One wants to reveal the past, they vanish into the Blessed One from behind.
If he wants to predict the future, they vanish into him from the front.1090
If he wants to predict a rebirth in hell, they vanish into the sole of a foot.
If he wants to predict a rebirth as an animal, they vanish into a heel.
If he wants to predict a rebirth as a hungry ghost, they vanish into a big toe.
If he wants to predict a rebirth as a human, they vanish into his knees.
If he wants to predict a reign of an armed wheel-turning king, they vanish into his left palm.
If he wants to predict a reign of a wheel-turning king, they vanish into his right palm.
If he wants to predict a rebirth as a god, they enter his navel.
If he wants to predict an awakening as a disciple, they vanish into his mouth.
If he wants to predict an awakening as a solitary buddha, they vanish into the circle of hair between his eyebrows.
If he wants to predict unsurpassed perfect awakening, they vanish into his uṣṇīṣa.
In this case, those rays of light circumambulated the Blessed One three times and then vanished into the sole of one of the Blessed One’s feet.
The venerable Ānanda then respectfully cupped his hands together and addressed the Blessed One:
A bundle of diverse light rays,
variegated with a thousand colors,
comes forth from your mouth.
They illuminate every direction,
as though the sun were rising.
And then he uttered these verses:
Without pride, free from grief and passion,
buddhas are the cause of greatness in the world.
Not without reason do victors, defeaters of the enemy,
display a smile, white like the conch or lotus root.
O you who are resolute, an ascetic, and an excellent victor,1091
you know at once with your mind the desires of your listeners.
Destroy their doubts that have arisen, O best of sages,
with words excellent, enduring, and virtuous.
Masters, awakened ones,
those with the patience of an ocean or great mountain,
do not display a smile without reason.
Masses of people yearn to hear why it is
that resolute ones display a smile.
“It is so, Ānanda,” the Blessed One said. “It is so. [570] Perfectly awakened tathāgatha arhats do not manifest a smile, Ānanda, without proper cause and reason. However, Ānanda,
Though free from yokes and bonds,
torments and obstacles,
still the monk Rudrāyaṇa
has been deprived of life.1092
“Ānanda, Rudrāyaṇa has obtained arhatship and been deprived of life.”
Hearing this, the venerable Ānanda stood there, choked up with tears.1093
Meanwhile those assassins took the venerable Rudrāyaṇa’s bowl, robe, and staff and went to Roruka where they informed the two evil ministers, “The old king has been killed.” Hearing this, they were pleased and delighted and approached King Śikhaṇḍin.
“My lord,” they said, “Congratulations! Now my lord’s kingdom is without enemies!”
“How is that?”
“The enemy of my lord has been killed.”
“What enemy?”
“The old king, my lord.”
“How do you know that he was killed?”
Those assassins were then brought before him.
“My lord, these assassins are the ones who killed him.”
“Gentlemen,” King Śikhaṇḍin asked them, “how big was the old king’s army?”
“My lord, where was this army of his? Here is his bowl, robe, and staff.”
King Śikhaṇḍin fainted and fell to the ground. Splashed with water, the king regained his senses and said, “Gentlemen, what did the old king pronounce at the time of his death?”
“My lord, as the old king breathed his last,1094 he said,
You have earned much demerit
from killing your father for a kingdom.
I will attain final nirvāṇa.
You will go to the Avīci hell.
“And this too should be said: ‘You have committed two deadly sins at once—you have killed your father as well as an arhat monk who had destroyed the corruptions. You will pass a long time in the great hell known as Avīci. Confess your sin as sin! Maybe then this karma will diminish, give out, and be completely exhausted.’”
Struck by the arrow of grief,1095 the king began to wilt like a reed plucked while still green [and immature].1096 He summoned Hiru and Bhiru, his former chief ministers, and said, “Gentlemen, why didn’t you stop me from commiting such a terrible deed?”
They said, “We were kept out of my lord’s sight. How could we stop you?” [571]
The king then put the two evil ministers out of his sight, and Hiru and Bhiru were reestablished as chief ministers.
Now the two evil ministers secretly made two holes, one in the stūpa for Tiṣya and the other in the stūpa for Puṣya, and placed a kitten in each. Every day they trained the two kittens by giving them bits of meat: “Hey Tiṣya! Hey Puṣya! By this truth, this vow of truth, having deceived the people with your magical power and ruined1097 offerings made in good faith, you were reborn in this lesser and lower existence as cats. By this truth, this vow of truth, accept these bits of meat,1098 circumambulate your stūpa, and enter your hole.”
When the two kittens had become well trained, those two evil ministers said to the [now principal] queen of [the deceased] King Rudrāyaṇa,1099 “Your highness, your son has become lean and weak, wearied and emaciated. How can you ignore this?”
“What should I do?” she said. “It was you two who made him commit such a terrible deed.”
“Your highness,” they said, “when the bucket has fallen, do you want to toss in the rope as well?”
“Very well,” she said. “Now with regard to killing his father, I can clear his mind about that.1100 But who can clear his mind about killing an arhat?”
“Your highness,” they said, “we can clear his mind about killing an arhat.”
“If that’s the case,” she said, “it would be excellent.”
The queen went to the king and said, “Son, why are you so pale, lean, and weak, wearied and emaciated?”
“Mother,” he said, “so you’re asking me as well—‘Why are you so pale, lean, and weak, wearied and emaciated?’ Why shouldn’t I be pale, lean, and weak, wearied and emaciated? Under the influence of evil ministers, I committed two deadly sins at once—I killed my father as well as an arhat monk who had destroyed the corruptions. I will pass a long time in the great hell known as Avīci.”
“Son,” she said, “guarantee my safety and I will tell you the truth.”
“Your safety is guaranteed,” he sai
d.
“My son,” she said, “in truth,1101 the king wasn’t your father. When I was fertile, I made love with another man. Then you were born.”
King Śikhaṇḍin reflected, “I haven’t killed my father!” With this in mind, he said, “Mother, if that’s the case, then I didn’t kill my father. But there was still the killing of an arhat. How does one get out of that?” [572]
“Son,” she said, “you should consult those who are masters of knowledge. They’ll bring you closure.”1102 With that said, she departed.
The queen summoned the two evil ministers and said, “I have cleared his mind about killing his father. Now you two should clear his mind about killing an arhat.”
Meanwhile King Śikhaṇḍin ordered his ministers, “Assemble all the ministers and those who are masters of knowledge.”
So they assembled all the ministers and those who were masters of knowledge. The two evil ministers assembled together with them. All those people who were in the king’s service began to speak congenially.1103
“My lord,” some of them there said, “who saw him attaining arhatship?”
“My lord,” others said, “arhats are like omniscient beings and can fly through the air!”
Then the evil ministers said, “My lord, why do you grieve about this?”
“You ask why I grieve about this?” the king said. “You were the ones who made me kill an arhat!”
“My lord, there are no arhats, so how can there be the killing of arhats?”
“I saw the arhats Tiṣya and Puṣya before my eyes!” the king said. “They performed miraculous deeds of causing fire and heat, making rain and lightning, and have now passed into the realm of remainderless nirvāṇa. And yet you two say, ‘There are no arhats, so how can there be the killing of arhats?’”
The evil ministers said, “We will prove to my lord that they deceived the people with their magic, ruined offerings made to them in good faith, and were reborn in a lesser and lower existence as cats. Even to this day they each live in their own stūpa.”
“Gentlemen,” the king addressed the ministers, “if that’s the case, then come. Let’s go and see whether this is true.”
Word spread throughout the city of Roruka. All the people living in the countryside also came out to see [whether it was true].1104 Then the two evil ministers said, “Hey Tiṣya! Hey Puṣya! By this truth, this vow of truth, having deceived the people with your magical power and ruined offerings made in good faith, you were reborn in this lesser and lower existence as cats and now each of you lives in your own stūpa. By this truth, this vow of truth, each of you take these bits of meat, circumabulate your stūpa, and enter your hole.”