A Brahmin with Wrong Views

[The following is based on the Dhamma Verses (Dhp 216) and its commentary.]

Once, while residing at Jetavana in Sāvatthī, the Buddha taught a discourse beginning with (Dhp 216): Taṇhāya jāyatī soko, “grief arises from craving,” in connection with a certain Brahmin. The story in detail is as follows: One day, a Brahmin, a citizen of Sāvatthī, who held wrong views, was clearing a farm land near the river Aciravatī.

The Buddha came to know that he had performed in the past an act that would contribute to his attainment of the paths and fruitions. The Brahmin saw the Buddha but as he was of wrong views, he did not pay his respects to the Buddha, not even talking to him but keeping silent. The Buddha himself first addressed the Brahmin, [847] saying: “Brahmin what are you doing?” The Brahmin replied: “Gotama, I am clearing the farmland.” With only a few such words on the first day, the Buddha went away.

The next day, too, the Buddha went to the Brahmin and asked him what he was doing. The Brahmin replied that he was ploughing the field. After hearing this reply the Buddha went away.

Again, the next day and the following days, the Buddha asked the Brahmin what he was doing and he replied that he was sowing seeds, planting seedlings, weeding or looking after the field. The Buddha heard the Brahmin’s answers which were appropriate to his work and went away.

In this way, owing to the frequency of the Buddha’s visit, the Brahmin began to like the Buddha. Wanting to make the Buddha his friend he said: “Gotama, you have been visiting me since the day I cleared my farmland. If the farm yields good and abundant crops, I will share them with you. I will not consume them without giving you first. From today you have become my friend.”

Then one day the crop on the Brahmin’s field became ripe and mature and he decided to have them reaped the next day. But, while he was making preparations for the harvesting, heavy rain fell at night and swept away all the crops. So the whole farmland was destroyed and barren like a field with all its crops removed.

Since the very day of his first visit, the Buddha had foreseen that the crops would come to nothing. But, if he started visiting the Brahmin only after the destruction of the crops, his discourse would have fallen on deaf ears. He had, therefore, been visiting the Brahmin from the day when the latter cleared the field, in this way the Buddha hoped to gain the Brahmin’s confidence and that would make him receptive to the discourse to be given on the day when the crops were ruined.

The Brahmin went early to his field and seeing his farmland stark empty, he was overwhelmed with grief. “The monk Gotama has been visiting me since I cleared my field,” he thought, “I have told him that I will give him a share of the crops after harvesting, that I will not consume them all by myself, without giving him and that he has become my friend. Now my desire will remain unfulfilled.” So thinking, he returned home, ate nothing and lay down on his bed.

Then the Buddha went to the Brahmin’s house. When the Brahmin heard of the Buddha’s coming, he told the people in his house to bring his friend inside and to give him a seat. They did according to his instructions. The Buddha sat down and asked where the Brahmin was. They answered that he was lying on his bed in the room. Thereupon, he told them to bring the Brahmin. The Brahmin came and sat at a suitable distance. Then he asked the Brahmin what was wrong with him.

The Brahmin said: “Gotama! You have been visiting me ever since I cleared my farm land. I have promised to share the crops with you when they come out well. But now my desire cannot be fulfilled and I am overwhelmed with anguish. I do not even want to eat my meal.”

Then the Fortunate One asked: “Brahmin! Do you know why grief arises in you?” The Brahmin said: “I do not know, Gotama. But do you know?” The Fortunate One replied: “Yes, I do. Grief and fear arises from craving.” Then the Buddha taught the following verse (Dhp 216):

Taṇhāya jāyatī soko, taṇhāya jāyatī bhayaṁ, taṇhāya vippamuttassa, natthi soko kuto bhayaṁ.

Brahmin, grief arises from craving. From craving arises fear. There is not the least grief in a person who has become free from craving through [848] becoming an Arahat. How can fear arise in him since he has repudiated it at the moment of attaining Non-returning (Anāgāmi-magga)?

At the end of the discourse, the Brahmin attained Stream-entry (Sotāpatti-magga).

Ven. Candābha

[The following is based on the Dhamma Verses (Dhp 413) and its commentary.]

While dwelling in Jetavana, in Sāvatthī city, the Buddha taught the verse beginning with (Dhp 413): Candaṁ va vimalaṁ suddhaṁ, “the Arahat is free from the impurity of the five kinds of sensual pleasure,” in connection with Ven. Candābha.

Deed in the Past

The story in detail: Long ago, a trader in Bārāṇasī planned to go to a border country to collect fragrant sandalwood. So he took a lot of garments and ornaments to the border country. There, he camped near the gate of a village and asked the cowherds in the wood: “Boys, is there somebody who works at the foot of the hill?” The cowherds said: “Yes.” He asked again: “What is his name?” When they gave the man’s name, he also asked the names of the man’s wife and children. When they gave their names, he asked further the locality of man’s home. The cowherds gave their answers with honesty.

Acting on the information given by the cowherds, the trader went in a small cart to the house of the forest worker. He stepped down, went into the house and called the housewife by her name. Thinking that the visitor was one of their relatives, the woman quickly came out and gave him a seat. The trader sat down, and mentioning the name of her husband, he asked: “Where is my friend?” She replied: “Sir, your friend has gone to the forest.” Then he asked her about the children, mentioning their names and referring to them as “son” and “daughter.” He gave her garments and ornaments as presents for her husband and children. The housewife served the trader hospitably with very good food. When her husband returned from the forest, she told him about the guest, how he had inquired about their children by name and how he had given her presents for the whole family. The worker became intimate with the trader and dutifully did all that was necessary for the guest.

Then in the evening the trader sat on the bed and asked the forest worker: “What objects do you find abundantly at the foot of the hill while you are wandering there.” The forester said: “I do not find anything extraordinary other than the trees with red branches that are plentiful.” The trader asked him whether he found such trees abundantly and the forester assured him that the trees abounded. “In that case, please show me those trees.” Then, led by the forester, the trader went into the forest, cut down the red sandalwood trees and came back with 500 cart-loads of sandalwood. He gave the forester his address in Bārāṇasī and said: “I would like you to come to my place. You are always welcome. When you come, I want you to bring only those trees. I want no present other than the trees with red branches.” After speaking warmly out of friendship, the trader returned to Bārāṇasī.

In accordance with the trader’s instruction, the forest worker brought only red sandalwood whenever he went to see the trader. The trader was grateful for his kindness and gave much gold and silver.

On another occasion, after the passing away (Parinibbāna) of the Buddha Kassapa and the construction of a great relic shrine (stūpa), the forester came to his friend, the Bārāṇasī trader, with a lot of sandalwood. The trader had the sandalwood pounded, filled the bowl with it and said to his friend: “Come, friend, let us go to the great shrine before the meal is ready. We will honour the shrine and come back.” So saying he took his friend to the shrine and honoured it with an offering of sandalwood powder. His friend, the forest worker, too honoured the shrine by making the shape of a moon with red sandalwood powder on the bell shape part of the shrine.

This forest worker was the future Ven. Candābha. This above act of honouring [849] was his only good deed in the past that contributed to his attainment of the paths and fruitions.

On his death, the forest worker was reborn in the Deva realm and after passing his time during the whole interval between the two Buddhas, he was reborn in an affluent Brahmin family in Rājagaha in the time of Buddha Gotama. From the navel of the young Brahmin there came out white, brilliant light like that of the full moon. So his parents and relatives named him Candābha, master moonlight.

This emission of the whole bright light like the full moon was the result of his honour done to Buddha Kassapa shrine with a sandalwood powder shaped like the moon.

The Brahmins decided to take the child round and make money by deceiving the people. They made the child sit in a vehicle and wandered about the whole Jambudīpa, boasting that those who stroked the youth’s body with their hands would acquire much wealth. Only those who could pay 100 or 1,000 pieces of money were allowed to stroke the child.

In the course or their wanderings, the Brahmins came to Sāvatthī and stayed in a place between the city and the Jetavana monastery. In the morning, fifty million noble, virtuous men gave alms, and in the afternoon, they went to Jetavana with scents, flowers, robes, medicines, etc. to listen to the Dhamma.

Seeing these people, the Brahmin asked them where they were off to. “We are going to hear the Fortunate One’s discourse,” answered the noble, virtuous men. Then the Brahmin said: “Come friend, what’s the use of going to that Fortunate One. There is no power like that of our Candābha. Certainly, those who stroke his body will have such and such benefits. Come and see Candābha.”

Candābha Taken to the Monastery

The good people said: “What kind of power does the Brahmin Candābha possess? Our teacher the Fortunate One is the most powerful being in the world.” Being unable to give a final decision on the issue by themselves, they at last agreed to go to the monastery and see the powers of the Fortunate One and of the Brahmin. So they went to the monastery taking the Brahmin Candābha.

As soon as the Brahmin came near him, the Buddha resolved to make the moonlight that emitted from the Brahmin’s navel disappear. The Brahmin became something like a small crow in a basket of charcoal. When the Brahmin was taken away from the Buddha, the light from his navel reappeared and when he was taken back to the Buddha, the light vanished as before. This occurred three times and Candābha wondered whether the Buddha knew any mantra that could dispel the light and he asked the Buddha accordingly.

The Buddha said: “Yes, I know it.” The Brahmin requested: “In that case please teach me the mantra.” The Buddha replied that he could not teach it to anyone who was not a monk. Then the Brahmin told his companions: “I will become the greatest man in the whole of Jambudīpa after learning this mantra. You wait for me in your lodgings in this city. I will learn the mantra within two or three days after ordination.” Having thus cheered up his friends he went back to the Buddha, asked for ordination and became a monk.

Then the Buddha taught Ven. Candābha contemplation of the 32 parts of the body (dvattiṁsākāra-kammaṭṭhāna). Then Ven. Candābha asked the Buddha what head-hair (kesa), body-hair (loma), etc. meant. The Buddha said: “That contemplation is preliminary (parikamma) to learning the mantra. You should recite it.”

The other Brahmins came occasionally and asked him if he had learnt the mantra. Ven. Candābha answered that he had not and that he was still reciting the preliminary. In this way [850] through the contemplation of the 32 parts of the body, Ven. Candābha developed concentration, then practised insight meditation (vipassanā) and within two or three days he became an Arahat. When the Brahmins came and inquired about him, he told them clearly and decisively: “Go away! It is now not possible for me to return to the worldly life.”

On hearing his words, other monks reported to the Buddha: “Exalted Buddha! This Ven. Candābha has falsely claimed to be an Arahat.” The Buddha said: “Monks! Now, my son, the monk Candābha, is an Arahat with all his pollutants (āsava) extinct. He speaks only the truth.” Then the Buddha uttered the following verse (Dhp 413):

Candaṁ va vimalaṁ suddhaṁ, vippasannam-anāvilaṁ, nandī-bhava-parikkhīṇaṁ, tam-ahaṁ brūmi brāhmaṇaṁ.

Monks! The Arahat is free from the impurity of the five kinds of sensual pleasure; pure, spotless and clear like the flying mansion of the moon, free from all defilements and craving for the three kinds of existence. Such an Arahat, I call a true Brahmin, as he really and naturally is.

By the end of the Discourse many people attained Stream-entry fruition and higher levels.

Māra’s Temptation

[The following is based on the Dhamma Verses (Dhp 331-333) and their commentary.]

The Buddha taught the discourse beginning with (Dhp 331): Atthamhi jātamhi sukhā sahāyā, “when there is any kind of understanding, friends are a source of happiness” in connection with Māra who came to tempt him to be a king.

The detailed account is as follows: Once the Buddha was dwelling in a small forest hermitage on the slopes of the Himālayas, in Kosala country. At that time, the kings still enforced their rule by oppressing the people. The Buddha saw the people in the countries of tyrants being ill-treated through various kinds of unlawful taxation and punishment. Being moved with pity, the Buddha wondered whether it was possible for one to be a good ruler without killing by oneself or through another person, without bringing about damage or loss of citizen’s property by oneself or through another person, and without making one grieve by oneself or through another person.

Māra knew what was passing through the Buddha’s mind and he thought: “Now, the monk Gotama is considering the possibility of being a ruler. Perhaps, now he wants to be a king. Kingship is a cause of negligence. If the monk Gotama becomes a king, I will have the opportunity to molest him. I will now go and make the monk Gotama try for kingship.” So thinking, he approached the Fortunate One and said: “Exalted Buddha, let the Glorious One be a king! Let the one who utters good words becomes a righteous king who does not kill by himself nor through another person, who does not bring about damage or loss of other’s property by himself or through another person and who does not make others grieve by himself or through another person.”

Thus Māra lured the Buddha. The Fortunate One said: “Wicked Māra! What do you see in me that makes you speak to me like this?” Māra replied: “Exalted Buddha, you have thoroughly and effectively developed the four foundations of supernormal power (iddhipāda). If your mind is inclined to turn the great Himālayas into gold, it will certainly become solid gold. If you act lawfully as a king, I will support you in all matters that require gold or silver.” Then the Fortunate One uttered the following verse (SN 4.20):

Pabbatassa suvaṇṇassa, jāta-rūpassa kevalo, dvittā va nālam-ekassa, iti vidvā samañcare.

There may be a big mountain that is made up of pure gold unmixed with copper, iron, lead, or other minerals. Let alone such a mountain of gold, [851] even a gold mountain that is twice as high as the Himālayas cannot satisfy the craving of a person. The wise man who understands the nature of craving should steadfastly and diligently practise the ten good deeds in thought, speech and deed.

Yo dukkham-adakkhi yato-nidānaṁ, kāmesu so jantu kathaṁ nameyya, upadhiṁ viditvā saṅgoti loke, tasseva jantu vinayāya sikkhe.

If a man knows clearly that all kinds of suffering have their source in the five kinds of sensual objects, why should he be inclined to see anything good in them? In this world, a man who clearly sees sensuality as a substratum (upadhi) of existence that is bound with greed, hatred, ignorance, conceit and false beliefs, should devote himself to the threefold training in morality, concentration and wisdom in order to overcome sensual desire.

After startling Māra with these verses, the Buddha said: “Wicked Māra, your teaching is one thing while my teaching is another; you teach to strive to enjoy sense objects and sense pleasures while I stress the need for eradicating them. Certainly, by no means is it possible to enter into a doctrinal discussion with you. I teach as follows.” Then the Buddha taught the following verses (Dhp 331-333):

Atthamhi jātamhi sukhā sahāyā, tuṭṭhī sukhā yā itarītarena, puññaṁ sukhaṁ jīvita-saṅkhayamhi, sabbassa dukkhassa sukhaṁ pahānaṁ.

In this world, when there is any kind of understanding, friends are a source of happiness, contentment with whatever is available is the source of happiness, when one is dying, good deeds are a source of happiness. Awakening, which means the total abandoning of the whole round of suffering inherent in the life cycle, is the source of happiness.

Here the cause of happiness is described as happiness in the sense of being the source (phalupatti). The same may be said of the following verses. This verse mentions four causes of happiness.

Sukhā matteyyatā loke, atho petteyyatā sukhā, sukhā sāmaññatā loke, atho brahmaññatā sukhā.

In this world, supporting one’s mother is a source of happiness, so is supporting one’s father, giving alms respectively to recluses, monks and wandering ascetics is also a source of happiness. Moreover, giving gladly and respectively to the Buddhas, Paccekabuddhas and to noble disciples is a source of happiness.

This verse also shows four sources of happiness.

Sukhaṁ yāva jarā-sīlaṁ, sukhā saddhā patiṭṭhitā, sukho paññāya paṭilābho, pāpānaṁ akaraṇaṁ sukhaṁ.

The good moral life involving the observance of the five, eight or ten precepts is good and productive of happiness until old age when one’s hair turns grey, teeth fall out and the skin becomes wrinkled.

Ruby earring, red garments, etc. are congenial to people only at a certain age. Young [852] people’s garments are not congenial to adults and vice versa. An adult wearing the garment of a young man or vice versa will cause criticism and gives one the impression of being crazy. But morality comprising the observance of the five or ten precepts is congenial to young or old people alike in the three phases of life. A morally good person earns the approbation of other people that is pleasant and delightful to him.

Unwaveringly established faith, mundane and supermundane, is a source of happiness. So is the ability to acquire mundane and supermundane wisdom by diligence. Complete abstinence from doing evil deeds is another source of happiness. This verse also shows another set of four sources of happiness. By the end of the discourse, millions of Devas realized the four truths and became liberated.