57. The Buddha was always accompanied by an attendant whose job it was to run messages for him, prepare his seat and to attend to his personal needs. For the first twenty years of his ministry, he had several attendants, Nagasamala, Upavana, Nagita, Cunda, Radha and others, but none of them proved to be suitable. One day, when he decided to replace his present attendant, he called all the monks together and addressed them: "I am now getting old and wish to have someone as a permanent attendant who will obey my wishes in every way. Which of you would like to be my attendant?" All the monks enthusiastically offered their services, except Ananda, who modestly sat at the back in silence. Later, when asked why he had not volunteered he replied that the Buddha knew best who to pick. When the Buddha indicated that he would like Ananda to be his personal attendant, Ananda said he would accept the position, but only on several conditions. The first four conditions were that the Buddha should never give him any of the food that he received, nor any of the robes, that he should not be given any special accommodation, and that he would not have to accompany the Buddha when he accepted invitations to people's homes. Ananda insisted on these four conditions because he did not want people to think that he was serving the Buddha out of desire for material gain. The last four conditions were related to Ananda's desire to help in the promotion of the Dharma. These conditions were: that if he was invited to a meal, he could transfer the invitation to the Buddha; that if people came from outlying areas to see the Buddha, he would have the privilege of introducing them; that if he had any doubts about the Dharma, he should be able to talk to the Buddha about them at any time and that if the Buddha gave a discourse in his absence, he would later repeat it in his presence. The Buddha smilingly accepted these conditions and thus began a relationship between the two men that was to last for the next twenty-five years.
58. Ananda was born in Kapilavatthu and was the Buddha's cousin, being the son of Amitodana, the brother of the Buddha's father, Suddhodana. It was during the Buddha's first trip back to Kapilavatthu after his enlightenment that Ananda, along with his brother Anuruddha and his cousin Devadatta, became a monk. He proved to be a willing and diligent student and within a year he became a Stream-Winner. The monk's life gave Ananda great happiness and his quiet, unassuming nature meant that he was little noticed by the others until he was selected to be the Buddha's personal attendant. While some people develop the qualities that lead to enlightenment through meditation or study, Ananda did it through the love and concern he had for others. Just before the Buddha attained final Nirvana, Ananda began to cry, saying to himself: "Alas, I am still a learner with much still to do. And the teacher is passing away, he who was so compassionate to me." The Buddha called Ananda into his presence and reassured him that he had developed his mind to a very high degree through his selflessness and love and that if he made just a bit more effort he too would attain enlightenment.
"Enough, Ananda, do not weep and cry. Have I not already told that all things that are pleasant and delightful are also changeable, subject to separateness and impermanence? So how could they not pass away? Ananda, for a long time you have been in my presence, showing loving-kindness with body, speech and mind, helpfully, blessedly, whole-heartedly, and unstingily. You have made much merit, Ananda. Make an effort and very soon you will be free from the defilements."[ N1 ]
59. Ananda's selflessness expressed itself in three ways - through his service to the Buddha, through his unstinting kindness to his fellow disciples, both ordained and lay, and also to future generations through the crucial role he had to play in the preservation and transmission of the Dharma.
60. As the Buddha's personal attendant Ananda strived to free the Buddha from as many mundane activities as possible so he could concentrate on teaching the Dharma and helping people. To that end, he washed and mended the Buddha's robe, tidied his living quarters, washed his feet, massaged his back and when he was meditating or talking, stood behind him keeping him cool with a fan. He slept near the Buddha so as to always be at hand and accompanied him when he did his round of the monasteries. He would call monks whom the Buddha wished to see and kept people away when the Buddha wished to rest or to be alone. In his role as servant, secretary, go-between and confidant, Ananda was always patient, tireless and unobtrusive, usually anticipating the Buddha's needs.
61. Although Ananda's main job was to take care of the Buddha's needs, he always had time to be of service to others as well. He would often give talks on Dharma and indeed such a skilful teacher was he that sometimes the Buddha would ask him to give a talk in his place, or finish a talk that he had begun.[ N2 ] We are told that when the Buddha would have his afternoon rests, Ananda would take advantage of the spare time to go and visit those who were sick, to talk to them, cheer them up or try to get medicine for them. Once he heard of a very poor family struggling to bring up two young sons. Knowing that the boys faced a very grim future and feeling that something had to be done to help them, Ananda got permission from the Buddha to ordain them, thus giving them a chance in life.[ N3 ]
62. Life in the Sangha was not always easy for nuns. Most monks kept away from them, not wanting to be tempted. Some even discriminated against them. Ananda, on the other hand, was always ready to help them. It was he who encouraged the Buddha to ordain the first nuns, he was always ready to give Dharma talks to nuns and laywomen and encourage them in their practice, and they in turn often sought him out because of his sympathy for them.[ N4 ]
63. The Buddha once said that of all his disciples, Ananda was pre-eminent of those who had heard much Dharma, who had a good memory, who had mastered the sequential order of what he had remembered and who was energetic.[ N5 ] The Buddha could not write, indeed, although writing was known at the time, it was little used. Both during his life and for several centuries after his final Nirvana, his words were committed to memory and transmitted from one person to another. Ananda's highly developed memory, plus the fact that he was constantly at the Buddha's side, meant that he, more than any other person, was responsible for preserving and transmitting the Buddha's teachings. By this, it is not meant that Ananda remembered the Buddha's words verbatim - this would have been neither possible nor necessary, as understanding the Dharma is not dependent on the arrangement of words and sentences but on the comprehension of the meaning of the words. Rather, Ananda remembered the gist of what the Buddha had said, to whom he said it, particularly important or prominent phrases, similes or parables that were used and also the sequence in which all the ideas were presented. Ananda would repeat what he had heard and remembered to others and gradually a large body of oral teachings developed. This meant that people far from the Buddha's presence could hear his teachings without the aid of books or the necessity of having to travel long distances.
64. After the Buddha's final Nirvana five hundred enlightened monks convened a Council at Rajagaha for the purpose of collecting all the Buddha's teachings and committing them to memory so they could be handed down to future generations. Because he knew so much Dharma it was essential that Ananda be present, but he was not yet enlightened. Now that he no longer had to look after the Buddha's needs, he had more time to meditate and so he began to practise with exceptional diligence, hoping that he could attain enlightenment before the Council started. As the time for the Council's commencement got closer, he practised harder and harder. During the evening before the Council he sat meditating, convinced that he would not be able to attain enlightenment by the next morning. So he gave up and decided to lie down and sleep. As his head touched the pillow he became enlightened. Ananda was warmly welcomed at the Council the next day and over the following months he recited thousands of discourses that he had heard, commencing each recitation with the words: 'Thus have I heard' (Evam me sutam). Because of his enormous contributions to the preservation of the Dharma, Ananda was sometimes known as: 'The Keeper of the Dharma Store' (Dharmabhandagarika). Because of his qualities of kindness, patience and helpfulness, Ananda was one of those rare people who seemed to be able to get along with everybody and whom everybody liked. Just before his final Nirvana, the Buddha praised Ananda in the company of the monks by thanking him for his years of loyal and loving friendship and service. "Monks, all those who were fully enlightened Buddhas in the past had a chief attendant like Ananda, as will all those who will be fully enlightened Buddhas in the future. Ananda is wise. He knows when it is the right time for monks, nuns, laymen, laywomen, kings, ministers, the leaders of other sects or their pupils to come and see me. Ananda has four remarkable and wonderful qualities. What four? If a company of monks comes to see Ananda, they are pleased at the sight of him, and when he teaches Dharma to them they are pleased, and when he finishes they are disappointed. And it is the same for nuns, laymen and laywomen."[ N6 ]
65. It is not known when or where Ananda passed away but, according to tradition, he lived to a ripe old age. When Fa Hien, the famous Chinese pilgrim, visited India in the 5th century CE, he reported seeing a stupa containing Ananda's ashes, and that nuns in particular had high regard for his memory.
Angulimala — The Murderer Who Became a Saint
66. King Pasenadi's chaplain was a learned but superstitious Brahmin named Bhaggava Gagga. It was his job to cast horoscopes, advise about the best time to embark on various projects and ward off evil influences with spells and mantras. He was filled with joy when his wife gave birth to a boy, but when the baby's horoscope was drawn up, his joy turned to dread. The horoscope indicated that the boy would grow up with criminal tendencies. Filled with superstitious fear, the parents decided to name the boy Ahimsaka, 'Harmless' in the hope that this would counter the influence of the stars. "The boy grew up into a fine youth who was good at his studies and obedient to his parents. But to make sure that the boy would never turn bad, they constantly stressed to him the importance of obeying them and doing what he was told.
Eventually, he left home for Taxila to do his higher studies. In those days, young Brahmins would go to Taxila and live in the house of a learned Brahmin to learn traditional lore and in return, work in his home. The relationship would be like that between father and son. Ahimsaka was a particularly obedient student which earned him special attention from his teacher but it also created jealousy in the other students. They decided to try to turn the teacher against Ahimsaka. According to plan, they went one by one to the teacher and whispered that his favourite student was trying to usurp his position. At first the teacher dismissed this as nonsense, but gradually the seeds of doubt were sown, and they eventually sprouted into suspicion and the teacher became convinced of Ahimsaka's hostility to him. "This young man is strong in body and quite capable of doing me harm. I must get rid of him and make sure he never comes back," he thought to himself. One day, the teacher called Ahimsaka and said: "You have successfully finished your studies, now you must bring me my fee." "Certainly," said Ahimsaka. " What do you demand as your fee?" "You must bring me a thousand first fingers from the human hand." "Surely you don't require this of me?" responded the horrified Ahimsaka. "You have taken from me and in return you must now do my bidding. Go now and bring a thousand fingers." The teacher's hope was, of course, that in the process of carrying out this task Ahimsaka would be killed and he would never have to see him again.
67. The unhappy student returned to Kosala and went to live in the Jalani forest and reluctantly at first, but later without compunction, he began waylaying lone travellers, killing them, cutting off one of their fingers and living off the possessions he stole. At first he hung the fingers on a tree where the birds would pick at the flesh, after which the bones would drop to the ground and be scattered. So after a while, Ahimsaka would thread the fingers on a cord and hang them around his neck. This gave him a terrible appearance, and the by then notorious and feared murderer came to be known as Angulimala (Finger Necklace). Eventually, through murder, and perhaps by cutting fingers from corpses that in ancient India were not buried, but cast away in charnel grounds, Angulimala had accumulated 999 fingers.
68. His parents came to hear that the murderer whom everyone was talking about was their own son. Embarrassed and ashamed, the old Brahmin disowned his son. His mother could not bring herself to do so and she planned to go into the forest where her son was known to operate and try to talk to him. Just when it looked like Angulimala might even kill his own mother, he came into contact with the Buddha.
69. When the Buddha heard about Angulimala, he quietly left the Jetavana and set out for the Jalani forest, some forty kilometres away. As the Buddha walked along the road, groups of travellers passed him and as they did, they warned him not to continue alone because of the danger. He simply smiled and continued on his way. When Angulimala saw the Buddha, he was most surprised. "This is wonderful indeed. Usually only travellers in groups of twenty, thirty or forty come along this road and here is an ascetic travelling alone. I will kill him."
Seizing his sword and shield, Angulimala emerged from the jungle and began to chase the Buddha, but although he ran as fast as he could, he could not catch up with the Buddha, who only walked. He put on a burst of speed but still could not get near the Buddha. Utterly bewildered, he shouted out: "Stand still, ascetic!" The Buddha turned around and looked at him, and replied: "I am still. Why don't you be still also?" Even more bewildered Angulimala asked: "What do you mean, ascetic?" "I am still in that I harm no living being. You kill and therefore you are not still," replied the Buddha.
70. The terrible things that he had done and the wretchedness of his life dawned on Angulimala and he broke down and sobbed. He threw down his weapons, bowed at the Buddha's feet and asked to become a monk. The Buddha ordained him and together they set out for Savatthi. A few days later, as the Buddha and Angulimala were sitting in the Jetavana, King Pasenadi and a retinue of fully armed soldiers came to visit.
"Where are you off to, O King?" asked the Buddha. "Has a border dispute broken out with Magadha?"
"No, Lord," said the king. "There is a terrible murderer operating in the kingdom. Because of him, people in outlying areas pack up their belongings, leave their villages and move to the safety of the city. Now the citizens have petitioned me to get rid of him and I am setting out to find him."
"If you heard that this murderer had given up his terrible life and become a monk, what would you do, O King?"
"I suppose I would bow to him and treat him as I would any other monk. But is such a thing possible, Lord?"
The Buddha stretched out his arm and said: "This, O King, is Angulimala."
The king drew back in fear, but the Buddha reassured him: "Do not be afraid, O King. There is no need for alarm." The king came closer, looked carefully at the monk and asked: "Is this really Angulimala, Lord?"
"Yes, O King." Then he addressed Angulimala: "What is your father's name? What clan does your mother belong to?"
"My father is Gagga and my mother is a Mantani."
"Then may they be of good cheer. If you need any requisites I will make an effort to provide them for you," said the king nervously.
"Thank you, sire. But I have enough robes," replied Angulimala.
Then King Pasenadi came and sat near the Buddha and said: "Lord, it is truly wonderful that without stick or sword you are able to pacify those whom I cannot pacify with sticks or swords."
The Buddha smiled.
71. Angulimala led a life of simplicity and solitude, and under the Buddha's guidance eventually attained enlightenment. But even then, there were many who remembered his terrible past and people would shun him. Often, he would return from his alms round with no food and sometimes people would throw stones at him. Once he returned from his alms round with blood and cuts all over him having been attacked by an angry mob. The Buddha comforted him, saying: "You must endure this, Angulimala. You must silently endure this. This is a result of the deeds you have done previously."[ N1 ]
Anathapindika — The Feeder of the Poor
72. In the 5th century B.C.E., trade and commerce were already highly developed in India. Caravans travelled from one city to another and financial houses made money available for loan. If a person had skill and was prepared to take risks, it was quite possible to make a lot of money and perhaps even become a millionaire (setthi). One of the Buddha's most famous lay disciples was such a man. His name was Sudatta but because he was always ready to give to the hungry, the homeless or the dispossessed, he was known by everybody as Anathapindika, meaning 'the feeder of the poor'.
73. Anathapindika lived in Savatthi but he travelled a lot on business and one day while in Rajagaha, he went to visit his brother-in-law. The household was so busy with preparations for a feast that Anathapindika failed to get his usual warm welcome. "What is the big occasion?" Anathapindika asked his brother-in-law. "Are you preparing for a great wedding or perhaps a visit from the king?" "No," was the reply. "The Buddha and his monks are coming for a meal tomorrow." Just hearing the word 'Buddha' filled Anathapindika with such joy that he could hardly contain himself. "You mean that a fully enlightened being has arisen in the world? How wonderful! Take me to meet him". Anathapindika wanted to go straight away but he was persuaded that it was too late and that it would be better to do so the next morning. That night Anathapindika was so excited that he could hardly sleep and he got up several times thinking it was already dawn. Eventually, thinking that the sun would be rising soon, Anathapindika set off to meet the Buddha, but as he entered the outskirts of the city and it was still dark, he became frightened and decided to turn back. Suddenly, a friendly spirit appeared illuminating the whole area and urged him to continue. "Walk on, friend. To move forward is better for you than to turn back." Encouraged by these words, Anathapindika continued and soon came across the Buddha walking up and down in the early morning light. The Buddha saw Anathapindika hesitating to come closer and he beckoned him. "Come forward, Sudatta." Astonished that the Buddha would know his real name and awed by the great man's presence, Anathapindika hurried forward and bowed at the Buddha's feet. The two men talked together for a while and as the sun came up; Anathapindika understood the essence of the Dharma and became a Stream-Winner.
Anathapindika then asked the Buddha if he could offer him a meal the next day and the Buddha accepted. All during the day he thought how wonderful it would be if the Buddha could come to Savatthi and how many people would benefit from the visit. Consequently, the next day, after the Buddha had finished his meal, Anathapindika asked him if he would come and visit Savatthi. The Buddha thought for a while and then agreed, adding: "Enlightened ones prefer to stay in peaceful places", and Anathapindika responded: "I fully understand, Lord."
74. When Anathapindika finished his business in Rajagaha, he set out for Savatthi, and as soon as he arrived he began to make preparations for the Buddha's arrival. First, he had to find a suitable place for the Buddha and his monks to stay, near the city but not too noisy. The best place proved to be a pleasure park about one kilometre south-west from the walls of Savatthi, owned by Prince Jeta. Anathapindika approached the prince and asked him if he wanted to sell his park. He declined. "Name a price," Anathapindika insisted, but Prince Jeta reiterated that he was not interested in selling. "I will pay you any price you like," Anathapindika said, and in order to put him off, the prince said: "All right! You can have the park for however much it costs to cover the ground with gold coins." To the prince's astonishment, Anathapindika enthusiastically agreed and left straight away to get the money. Soon a wagon, full of gold pieces, arrived at the park and servants began spreading the money on the ground. When Prince Jeta saw this, he realised how determined Anathapindika was to get the park and finally decided to accept a more reasonable price for it. Anathapindika then spent a huge amount of money building living quarters, assembly halls, storerooms and pavilions, laying out gardens and digging ponds while Prince Jeta offered to build an impressive gate house leading into the park and a wall around it for privacy. In recognition of the two men who made all this possible, the monastery was named Jeta's Grove, Anathapindika's Park or just Jeta's Grove (Jetavana) for short.[ N1 ]
75. From the age of sixty, the Buddha spent every rainy season except his last at Jetavana and delivered more discourses there than at any other location. The Buddha's favourite places in Jetavana were two small houses, the Kosambakuti and the Gandhakuti. The Gandhakuti (Fragrant Hut) got its name because the flowers that people constantly brought to offer to the Buddha gave the building such a pleasing fragrance. The Gandhakuti had a sitting room, bedroom and bathroom and a staircase leading up to it where the Buddha used to sometimes stand in the evening and address the monks. One of Ananda's duties was to regularly dust and clean the Gandhakuti, remove the faded flowers and put the chair and bed back in their proper place.
In 1863, the ruins of Jetavana were discovered and later archaeological investigation identified the Gandhakuti and the Kosambakuti, and showed that the Jetavana was a centre of Buddhism from the Buddha's time right up until the 13th century C.E.
76. Although Anathapindika built the Jetavana, this was certainly not the extent of his generosity. Over the years he spent vast amounts of money providing the five requisites for monks, building and maintaining monasteries, and doing charity in the name of Buddhism. He understood that if wealth is used with generosity and compassion, it can be a real means for spiritual development.
77. But Anathapindika did not just have generosity with his wealth, he had generosity of spirit also. When he was young he had a friend named Kalakanni, which means 'unlucky', and the two boys used to make mud pies together as they played. As they grew up, Anathapindika became rich while Kalakanni seemed to be plagued by one misfortune after another and remained poor. Hoping that his old friend might help him, Kalakanni went one day, hesitant and ashamed, to see Anathapindika to ask if he could give him a job. Happy to help, Anathapindika gave him a job looking after the property in one of his houses. Anathapindika's family were not happy to have Kalakanni in the house. "How can you employ this man? He's nothing but a derelict. We are a respectable family while he is little more than a beggar. And besides, hearing that name Kalakanni being used in the house all day is bound to bring bad luck." Anathapindika replied: "A person is not made by his name. The superstitious judge people by their names but the wise judge them by the goodness of their hearts. I shall not turn Kalakanni out simply because he is poor or because of his name. We have been friends since we were children." Anathapindika's family were silent but they were still not happy. One day Kalakanni had to return to his village for a while and when a group of thieves heard that he would be out of the house, they decided they would break in and rob the house. That night they came to the house not knowing that Kalakanni's departure had been delayed. He awoke, and heard the thieves talking outside the window, and realising that there were several of them and that they were all heavily armed, he immediately jumped up, talking loudly, banging doors, lighting lamps in different rooms and generally made as much noise as he could. The thieves thought that there was a party in the house and they fled. When this became known, Anathapindika called his family, who were now very grateful to Kalakanni, and said to them, "If this house had not been guarded by such a wise and loyal friend, it would have been plundered. If I had taken your advice, we would all be in a very different position today. It is not name or wealth that makes a person, but his heart." Kalakanni was given a raise and came to be accepted by the household.[ N2 ]
78. Anathapindika's great wealth and equally great generosity prompted many of the Buddha's discourses, some of them related to the subject of the skilful use of wealth. But sometimes, Anathapindika had to be reminded that it is not the lavishness of a gift that is important and also that there are some things more important than generosity, things like love and understanding, for example. In the Velama Sutta, the Buddha told Anathapindika about a man who had once given lavish gifts, but because no one really benefited, his gift had very little good effect.
"If he had fed a hundred people who had Perfect View, it would have had a greater effect. If he had fed a hundred Once-Returners, the effect would have been greater still. If he had fed a hundred Non-Returners, the effect would have been greater than this. If he had fed a hundred Noble Ones, it would have been greater than this. Feeding the whole Sangha with the Buddha at its head would have been yet again greater. If he had built a monastery for the use of the Sangha, it would have had a greater effect. Taking Refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha and keeping the Precepts would be greater still. Better yet would be to fill the heart with love. Best of all would be to develop the thought of love even if only for a moment."[ N3 ]
Later in life, Anathapindika became quite poor due to his constant giving and also due to some unwise business decisions. Eventually, he became ill but Sariputta and Ananda visited him regularly, comforting him with talk on Dharma.[ N4 ] Throughout its history, Buddhism has been assisted in its establishment and spread by the generous support it has received from wealthy merchants and businessmen, but the first and greatest of these was Anathapindika. Next page