Uggasena, the Acrobat

[The following is based on DhpA XXIV.6, the commentary to Dhp 348, it is moved here from the following chapter, so as to make that chapter more focused.]

Uggasena, the Son of a Richman

In the time of the Buddha a theatrical troupe of 500 entertainers used to stage shows to entertain the King of Rājagaha for seven days annually or bi-annually, for which they received an enormous amount of reward in gold and silver. The prizes awarded by the enthusiastic general public in their honour, at intervals of performances, was inestimable. The citizens sat upon rows and rows of four-legged bedsteads of their own, arranging them behind and above one another, each row getting higher and higher than the one in front.

Their shows usually started with the appearance on the stage of a young actress, the daughter of the troupe’s leading acrobat. She displayed her skill in acrobatics in various styles on a string of bamboos at a certain height from the ground; she moved from end to end gently and steadily, as she danced and sang with a pleasant voice.

Amongst the audience was a youth named Uggasena, the son of a rich man. He was enjoying the show together with a friend. He gazed attentively at the impressive performer displaying her acrobatic skill in different postures and styles, softly bending, raising, stretching her delicate hands and feet. He went back home driven mad with intense attachment and love for the youthful actress. On arriving home, he threw himself down on bed, saying: “I will live only if I can have her or else I will die on this bed,” and sentimentally went on hunger strike.

His parents asked him: “Dear son, what ails you?” – “Dear mother and father, I will live only if I win the hand of the actress whom I have seen performing in the precincts of the royal palace; if not, I will die on this bedstead,” was his frank, blunt reply. His parents consoled him by saying: “Dear son, don’t get so sentimental. We will find a fair lady suitable for you from amongst our own clansmen of wealthy status.” But Uggasena was not moved by the pleadings of his parents but reiterated his wish as before without any [546] change and persisted in lying on his bed.

Uggasena’s father made several attempts to persuade his son to change his mind, talking to him privately with soothing words, but to no avail. Finally the parents sent for his friend and asked him to negotiate with the head acrobat, the father of the girl, on their behalf, saying: “Friend, please take his sum of 1,000 and give it to the father of the actress with a request to accept it and to give his daughter in marriage to my son, Uggasena.”

The head acrobat’s reply to the messenger’s request was: “I am not prepared to accept the money in exchange for my daughter. If the rich man’s son Uggasena cannot live unless he wins the hands of my daughter, he will have to come along with us. I will give away my daughter only on this condition that he follows us wherever we go.”

When his parents conveyed the news to him, Uggasena said: “Mother and father, in that case I will go along with them,” and so saying he left for the head acrobat’s place in spite of repeated requests of his parents and relatives not to do so. The head acrobat was as good as his word, he gave away his daughter and they all wandered about towns and villages staging shows and acrobatic performances.

A son was born of the union of Uggasena and the actress. The mother used to coax and cuddle the child by singing a lullaby: “Son of a watchman of the carts … I wish you would sleep. Son of a wicked man, the custodian of prize money … I wish you would sleep. Son of an ignoramus … I wish you would sleep.” She sang this in a mocking, ridiculing manner.

This lullaby reflected on the life being led by Uggasena. Whenever the entertainment troupe rested during the course of wanderings, he was charged with the responsibility for securing food for the oxen and feeding them, and for the security of the camp. He was also responsible for the safe custody of the proceeds from the performances.

Uggasena realized that by singing mocking lullabies, the actress was making insinuations and ridiculing him, so he asked the actress: “Are you singing to despise me?” She replied: “Yes, it was intended for you.” Uggasena retorted: “Then I will abandon you and go back to my parents.” The actress was unmoved by this threat and she replied: “I don’t care at all whether you go away or come back,” and went on repeating the lullaby again and again knowing that it was irritating to Uggasena.

The actress was puffed up with the pride of her beauty and her fine art of dancing which enabled her to earn her living easily.

Uggasena thought over how the actress became so conceited and finally realised: “Her pride is rooted in her prowess as an acrobatic artist.” He made up his mind to learn the skill of acrobatic feats. Approaching his father-in-law, the acrobatic master, he sought and received permission from him to be trained in the art of gymnastics until he became an expert in it. He then went from place to place staging shows in villages and marketing towns and finally he came back again to the city of Rājagaha. There, he had it announced widely throughout the city that “Seven days from now, Uggasena, the son of the rich man, will stage a performance, demonstrating amazing feats of acrobatics and somersaults.”

The citizens vied with one another in setting up bedstead seats with longer legs to get a better view of the performances and they assembled around the stage on the appointed day. Finally, Uggasena appeared and he climbed up a pole of 60 cubits high and made up of many lengths of bamboo affixed to one another firmly. He stood on top of the pole poised to stage a performance. [547]

Uggasena Appears to the Buddha

On the day fixed for the staging of the performance by Uggasena, the Buddha surveyed the world of beings before dawn and perceived by means of his omniscience a vision of Uggasena, who was caught in his supernormal mental screen, like a fish trapped in a net, and he reflected on what would come to pass.

He saw in his mind’s eye: When the morning comes, Uggasena will stand on top of the pole of 60 cubits high to stage a performance and the citizens will appear to witness it. At that assemblage of people, I will expound the Dhamma made up of four verses. As a result of hearing this teaching of mine, 84,000 sentient beings will gain emancipation through realization of the four noble truths, and Uggasena will become an Arahat.

As the time for alms round arrived, the Buddha went into the city in the company of his monastics as usual. Just before the Buddha’s entry into the city, Uggasena had signalled to the audience by pointing his index finger towards them that he was about to begin the show; that brought thunderous applause from the crowd. Uggasena who was then standing on top of the pole took a leap up in to the air and somersaulted seven times in the air before he came down and stood on the pole.

The Buddha, who had now arrived in the city, caused the audience, by his supernormal power, to pay exclusive attention to him, thus diverting their interest which was directed to Uggasena a moment ago. Watching the mood of the audience from atop the pole, Uggasena noticed their attention which was fixed on him, suddenly turn towards the Buddha. He felt down-hearted that the audience had lost interest in him. He thought to himself: “I can stage this acrobatic show only once a year, yet, as soon as the Buddha has come into the city, the audience is no longer interested in me, instead, they give their attention only to him. All my efforts to demonstrate my skill in acrobatic feats are in vain, and fruitless.”

The Buddha knew what was in the mind of Uggasena and asked Ven. Moggallāna: “Dear son Moggallāna, go to the son of the rich man and tell him that he is asked to go on with the acrobatic performance.” Ven. Moggallāna went as instructed by the Buddha and standing at the base of the pole gave encouragement to Uggasena by the following verse (DhpA, PTS 4.62):

Iṅgha passa naṭa-putta, Uggasena mahabbala, karohi raṅgaṁ parisāya, hāsayassu mahā-janaṁ

O gymnastic artist of great strength, Uggasena, I urge you to resume your display of skill in somersault with ease of mind. Look at the crowd that has gathered. Let the mass of people enjoy your amazing entertainment and praise your skill with uproarious cheers.

On hearing the words of Ven. Moggallāna, Uggasena felt greatly delighted and encouraged; he thought that the Buddha was desirous of seeing his skill. He replied while still standing on top of the pole by the following verse:

Iṅgha passa mahā-pañña, Moggallāna mahiddhika; karomi raṅgaṁ parisāya, hāsayāmi mahā-janaṁ.

Ven. Moggallāna of great wisdom and of the highest degree of supernormal power! Please watch, I will entertain the crowd that has gathered by displaying my skill with ease of mind. I will perform such an amazing feat that the audience will give enthusiastic cheers and praise uproariously.

So saying, he threw himself up into the air and made fourteen complete rounds of somersault [548] before coming down on his feet on top of the bamboo pole.

Exhortation by the Buddha

At that moment, the Buddha exhorted Uggasena by these words: “Dear son Uggasena, a wise man should abandon attachment to the five aggregates which arose before, to the five aggregates which will arise in the future and to those which are presently arising. Not clinging to the five aggregates, he should strive for the release from the suffering of birth, the suffering of ageing, the suffering of death.” The Buddha went on expounding the Dhamma by means of the following verse:

Muñca pure muñca pacchato, majjhe muñca bhavassa pāragū, sabbattha vimutta-mānaso, na punaṁ jāti-jaraṁ upehisi.

Dear son Uggasena, give up and abandon the craving for the fivefold aggregates of mind and matter of the past … the future … and the present. Once you have completely forsaken the attachment to these aggregates of the past, the future and the present, you will have transcended the round of suffering in the three realms: the sensual world (kāma-bhava), the world of form (rūpa-bhava) and the formless world (arūpa-bhava) and you will have reached perfection and become an authority in matters pertaining to super knowledge (abhiññā), full comprehension (pariññā), letting go (pahāna), meditation (bhāvanā) and realisation (sacchikiriyā); you will live fully emancipated from all forms of the conditioned and pass beyond the stages of birth, ageing, sickness and death.

At the conclusion of the discourse, 84,000 sentient beings became emancipated through realization of the four noble truths. The rich man’s son, Uggasena, became an Arahat complete with analytical wisdom (paṭisambhidā-ñāṇa) while still standing on top of the bamboo pole. He came down from it and went towards the Buddha, paying homage with full reverence. He then requested permission to receive ordination. The Buddha stretched out his hand and pronounced: Ehi bhikkhu … to summon him as a full-fledged monastic. The form of an acrobatic artist disappeared instantaneously and Uggasena assumed the form of a great elder (mahā-thera) of 60 years’ standing aged 80, and fully equipped with the eight requisites of a monastic.

Fellow monastics asked Uggasena: “Did you not feel afraid when you came down from the top of the bamboo pole 60 cubits high?” Thereupon, Uggasena replied: “Friends, I had not the slightest fright.” The monastics went to the Buddha and reported: “Most exalted Buddha, Uggasena has claimed to be an Arahat by telling lies that: ‘He did not feel the slightest fright when he was coming down from the top of the pole.’ ”

The Buddha gave them a brief explanation in support of Uggasena: “Dear monastics, all the monastics, like my son Uggasena, through eradication of the pollutants (āsava), by cutting off the ten fetters (saṁyojana) are free from fright.” [549]

The bonds or fetters (saṁyōjana) bind all beings to the wheel of existence. When they are completely broken or eliminated, emancipation results. The ten fetters are: 1) belief in a soul, the view that the body and mind is ‘myself’ (sakkāya-diṭṭhi); 2) doubt or wavering concerning the Buddha’s Enlightenment, His Teaching and His Order (vicikiccha); 3) the belief that there are paths other then the a noble (ariya) path of eight constituents that can liberate one from suffering (sīlabbata-parāmāsa); 4) sensual desire, sensuous passion (kāma-rāga); 5) ill-will (paṭigha); 6) craving for existence in the fine-material (Brahma) realms (rūpa-rāga); 7) craving for existence in the formless Brahma realms (arūpa-rāga); 8) pride, awareness of superiority or inferiority (māna); 9) restlessness, agitation, mental unrest (uddhacca); 10) ignorance, lack of real or correct knowledge as to the nature of existence, as to the four noble truths (avijja). It is the main root of suffering and of rebirth.

The Buddha then expounded the following verse which is included in the Chapter about Brahmins (Brāhmaṇa-vagga) of the Dhamma Verses (Dhammapada, Dhp 397).

Sabba-saṁyojanaṁ chetvā, yo ve na paritassati, saṅgātigaṁ visaṁyuttaṁ, tam-ahaṁ brūmi brāhmaṇaṁ

Monastics, a monastic who has became an Arahat through eradication of the pollutants (āsava) has indeed cut off the ten long fetters by the sword of the Arahat path (Arahatta-magga); he cannot therefore be moved or startled by fright which has its origin in greed (lobha). I praise and proclaim such an Arahat who has overcome the seven kinds of clinging (saṅga): sensuous passion, ill-will, conceit, wrong view, moral defilement, physical, verbal and mental misdeeds, and who has nothing more to do with four ties (yoga) sensuality (kāma), coninuation (bhava), views (diṭṭhi) and ignorance (avijjā) as a truly noble, pure person, a Brahmin, who has done away with all kinds of evil.

A large multitude of people attained Stream-entry (Sotāpatti-magga), and so on, at the conclusion of the discourse.

Uggasena’s Past Deeds

One day, monastics were assembled again in the main hall and were discussing the mode of Uggasena’s attainment to Awakening: “Friends, one wonders, in the first place, how a person such as Ven. Uggasena, who was predestined to become an Arahat, got entangled through an actress with the troupe of acrobatic performers, following them wherever they wandered; and in the second place, what was the cause of the powerful sufficing condition for attainment of Awakening.”

The Buddha went to the main hall and asked: “Monastics, what is the subject of your discussion?” When they explained what the subject of their discussion was, he explained to them briefly thus: “Monastics, Uggasena himself was the cause of these two events; the one that entailed his engagement with the dancing troupe and the other that resulted in his attainment to Awakening.”

He then went on to relate the full account as follows: “Long, long ago, when a relic shrine (stūpa) was built to enshrine the relics of Buddha Kassapa, men and women of Bārāṇasī went in large numbers to the shrine site to contribute the necessary labour, carrying plenty of food in their carts. On the way they met a great elder (mahā-thera) entering the city on his alms round.

At that time, one woman noticed the great elder and told her husband: “My dear lord, the elder is receiving food on his rounds, please go and bring his bowl so that we may offer something to him. We have brought along in the cart plenty of food.” The man went and fetched the bowl from the monastic and after filling it with hard and soft food to its brim, they returned it to the great elder and both the husband and wife declared their wish: “Revered great elder, for this deed of merit, may both of us be blessed with a share of the supermundane knowledge which you have realized.”

The recipient of their gift food was not an ordinary monastic, he happened to be an Arahat devoid of the taint of pollutants (āsava). He foresaw, by means of his knowledge of the future (anāgata-ñāṇa), that their wishes would be fulfilled and so he smiled happily. The woman caught a glimpse of it and she muttered: “My dear lord, the venerable who received our offering might be an actor.” The husband also agreed, saying. “Yes, he might be an actor.” They then departed from that place. This then was the deed the husband and wife had done in the past.

The couple lived to the end of their lifespan in that existence and were reborn in [550] the realm of the Devas. After enjoying the life of Devas, the wife was born as the daughter of the leading acrobatic performer in her present and last existence. The husband was born as the son of a rich man in the last stage of his existence, by the name of Uggasena. Although born as a son of a rich man, he had to accompany the dancing troupe in their wanderings, for the demeritorious deed of agreeing: “Yes, he might be an actor,” to his wife in a past existence. But for the good deed of offering food to an Arahat, in pure piety and devotional faith, he became an Arahat.”

When Uggasena became an Arahat and became a summoned monastic, his wife, the young actress, thought to herself, awakened by the meritorious deed in her past: “Whatever level of intelligence possessed by my husband, my level of intelligence should also be the same as his.” Reasoning in this way she approached the female monastics and received ordination from them. Then devoting herself to the practice of Dhamma, in due course she also became an Arahat, having eradicated all the pollutants (āsava).