(T25.76a8-c12 [fasc.3])
Question: Cities such as Sravasti, Kapilavastu and Varanasi
each contain the domiciles of kings. Why then is this city alone
referred to as "City of the Kings' Abode (Rajagrha)?"
Reply: There are people who say that the king of Magadha had a
son who was born with a single head, but two faces and four arms.
Because the people of the time took this to be inauspicious, the king
sliced off the head from the body and then cast them aside in the
wilderness. A female rakshasa ghost named Liilaa put the boy's body
back together again and then suckled and raised him.
Later he grew into a great man whose power rivaled that of all
of the kings of the neighboring states. He established sovereignty
throughout the country, and sent all of the former kings, eighteen
thousand in all, to dwell together in the area surrounded by these five
mountains. He used his great power to rule over all of Jambudvipa.
Because of this, the people of Jambudvipa named this mountain "City of
the Kings' Abode."
Again, there are some people who say that the city where the
king of Magadha formerly dwelt was subject to runaway fires. Each time
the city burned, it was rebuilt. It happened like this seven times,
after which the people were worn out from conscription and the king was
greatly distressed and terrorized. He then assembled all of the sages
and solicited their opinions on the best course of action. There were
those who came down in favor of the idea that the city should be moved
to another place. The king then began to search for a new place to
dwell. He saw these five mountains arranged in a circle like a city
wall, built a palace in the area surrounded by them and then settled
there. Because of this it came to be named "City of the Kings' Abode."
And then again, long ago in ancient times, this country had a
king who was named Vasu. His mind became weary with worldly dharmas and
as a result he left behind the home life and became a hermit. At this
time the home- dwelling brahmans were involved in a doctrinal debate
with the hermits who had left the home life. The home- dwelling
brahmans insisted that the scriptures require that ritual offerings to
the gods require slaughtering animals and eating their flesh. The
hermits who had left the home life insisted that one should not
slaughter animals and eat their flesh in the course of making ritual
offerings to the gods. They argued back and forth until finally the
brahmans who had left the home life said, "Here we have a king who has
left the home life and become a hermit. Do you all trust him or not?"
The home- dwelling brahmans all said, "We trust in him."
The brahmans who had left the home life said, "We will use this
man as an arbiter. Tomorrow we shall pose the question to him." Then,
that very evening, the home- dwelling brahmans were first to pay a visit
to the abode of Vasu the hermit. After having asked all manner of
questions, they said to Vasu, the hermit, "In tomorrow's debate you must
help us." The next morning at the appointed time for the discussion,
the hermits who had left the home life asked Vasu the hermit, "In the
course of performing ritual offerings to the gods, should one slaughter
animals and eat their flesh or not?"
Vasu the hermit said, "According to the dharma of the Brahmans,
during the course of performing ritual offerings to the gods, one should
slaughter animals and eat their flesh."
The hermits who had left the home life said, "But what do you
yourself actually think? Should one slaughter animals and eat their
flesh?"
Vasu the hermit replied, "Because it is a sacrifice to the gods,
one ought to slaughter animals and eat their flesh. Because these
animals die in the course of a sacrifice made to the gods, they are able
to be reborn in the heavens."
The hermits who had left the home life exclaimed, "You are
utterly wrong! You have told a great lie!" Then they spat upon him and
said, "Disappear, you malefactor!" At this time Vasu the hermit sank
into the ground up to the level of his ankles. Because he had only just
opened for the first time the door to extreme offenses, the hermits who
had left the home life said, "You ought to speak true words. If you
deliberately lie, your body will sink into the earth."
Vasu the hermit said, "I know that because one slaughters the
sheep and eats its flesh on behalf of the gods, there is no offense,"
whereupon he immediately sank farther into the earth up to the level of
his knees. In this manner he gradually sank up to his waist and then up
to his neck.
The hermits who had left the home life said to him, "You are now
undergoing present and immediate retribution for your lying. However,
if you change your ways and speak the truth, although you have sunken
into the earth, we will still be able to get you out again and bring it
about that your offense will be pardoned."
At that time, Vasu the hermit thought to himself, "I am a noble
and eminent personage and thus should not make contradictory statements.
Moreover, it is the dharma of the four Brahmanical Vedas to praise, for
all manner of reasons, the methods for making of offerings to the gods.
If I, one single person, die on account of this, how is that even worth
reckoning? Then he singlemindedly stated, "It should be that there is
no offense in slaughtering animals and eating them during the course of
making offerings to the gods."
The hermits who had left the home life said, "You are a man with
heavy offenses. May you be forced away. It's useless to even lay eyes
on you." At this time his entire body sank into the earth. From that
point on even until the present day, they have always used the method
prescribed by Vasu, the hermit king, of slaughtering sheep in the course
of making offerings to the gods. Just as the knife is about to fall,
they say, "It is Vasu who kills you."
The son of Vasu, named "Wide Chariot," assumed the throne.
Later, he too grew weary of worldly dharmas, but was not also able to
leave the home life. He thought to himself, "My father, the former
king, left the home life, but even while still alive was swallowed up by
the earth. However, to continue to rule the nation is to create more
great offenses. How then should I now conduct myself?"
When he was thinking like this, he heard a voice from space,
saying, "If when travelling, you see a place which is seldom seen and
rare, you ought to build a home and live there." After it had made this
statement, he no longer heard the voice.
It was not long after that the King ventured into the country to
go hunting. He saw a deer that was running as fast as the wind. The
King then chased after it but could not catch up to it. He pursued it
without stopping. None of the multitude of officials and retainers
could keep up. As he travelled on farther ahead he saw a ridge of five
mountains which ran in a steep and solid circle. The ground was flat
and even. Delicate grasses which were fine and soft together with fine
flowers covered the soil. All kinds of trees and flowers and fruits
flourished there. The land was enhanced by pure- watered warm springs
and bathing pools. Heavenly flowers and heavenly incense floated down
everywhere and everywhere there was the sound of heavenly music. At
that time the gandharva music- makers retreated on seeing the king
approach. This place was rare and such as never had been seen before.
"Now I ought to build a home right in center of this area and
live here," he thought. Just as he had finished this thought, the
multitude of ministers and the numerous officials, following his tracks,
arrived at the spot. The king told the ministers, "Formerly, the voice
which I heard from empty space said, 'If when travelling, you see a
place which is seldom seen and rare, you ought to build a home and live
there.' Now I have seen this rare place. I ought to build a home and
live here." He then abandoned the original city and came to dwell
amidst these mountains. This king was the first to dwell there. After
that the succeeding kings each dwelt there as well. Because formerly
this king established his palace there, the place was named "City of the
Kings' Abode."

Mahakasyapa and Mt. Grdhrakuta

(T25.78b26-79b2 [fasc.3])
Again, Mahakasyapa, the elder, oversaw the compilation of the
threefold treasury of Dharma on Mt. Grdhrakuta. When all the beings
which he was able to cross over had been crossed over, he wished to
follow the Buddha by entering nirvana. After he had risen in the early
morning and had gone into The City of the Kings' Abode to make his alms
rounds, he ascended Mt. Grdhrakuta and told all of his disciples, "Today
I shall enter the nirvana without residue." After he had said this he
went into his dwelling and sat in full lotus whereupon non- outflow
dhyana absorption permeated his being.
The disciples of Mahakasyapa went into the city of Kings' Abode
and told all of the gentry, "Are you aware or are you not that the
venerable Mahakasyapa is this very day going to enter the nirvana
without residue?" When the various gentry folk heard these words, they
became greatly saddened and distressed, saying, "The Buddha has already
crossed into extinction. Mahakasyapa maintains and protects the Dharma
of the Buddha. Now, today, he too is about to enter the nirvana without
residue." In the late afternoon, the various gentry folk and the
bhikshus all assembled on Mt. Grdhrakuta. In the late afternoon
Mahakasyapa, the elder, arose from dhyana, joined the assemblage and sat
down.
Then he spoke in praise of the teaching of impermanence, saying,
"Because all composite dharmas are a product of causes and conditions,
they are therefore impermanent. Because, formerly nonexistent, they now
exist, and then pass again into nonexistence, they are therefore,
impermanent. Because they are impermanent they do therefore conduce to
suffering. Because they conduce to suffering, they are therefore not
self. Because they are not self, he who is possessed of wisdom should
not become attached to the concepts of 'I' and 'mine.' If one becomes
attached to 'I' and 'mine,' then one becomes subject to an immeasurable
amount of worry, distress, suffering and affliction. In all worldly
spheres, one should abhor and seek liberation from desires." He spoke
like this in many ways about the suffering inherent in the World,
leading forth his mind to cause it to enter upon nirvana.
After he had delivered this discourse, he donned the sa.mghaatii
robe obtained from the Buddha, and, taking hold of the bowl and robe and
grasping his staff, just like the golden- winged garuda bird, he rose up
into space, appearing in the four different physical postures of
sitting, lying down, walking and standing. His one body then manifest
an immeasurable number of bodies which filled up the world to the east.
Then these immeasurable number of bodies became one body again. From
the top of his body he threw forth flames while from below he gushed
forth water. Then, from the top of his body he gushed forth water while
from below he threw forth flames. In the south, in the west, and in the
north as well, it was also like this.
After the minds of those assembled had felt aversion to the
world and had then been brought to delight, on the top of Mt.
Grdhrakuta, with bowl and robe, he uttered an oath, "May my body be
caused to not decay, so that when Maitreya becomes a Buddha, this
skeleton of mine will appear once again, and on account of these causes
and conditions beings will obtain deliverance." After he had
contemplated in this manner, he entered directly into the rock on the
top of the mountain, just as if he were sinking into soft mud. After he
had entered, the mountain closed shut behind him.
Later on, when the normal lifespan of people reaches 84,000
years and their normal height reaches eighty feet, Maitreya Buddha will
appear. The Buddha's body will be one hundred and sixty feet tall and
the Buddha's face will itself extend twenty- four feet while his nimbus
will span ten meters. At this time, when beings hear that Maitreya
Buddha has appeared, an immeasurable number of people will follow the
Buddha in leaving the home life. When the Buddha is in the midst of the
great assembly and first speaks Dharma, ninety- nine ko.tis of people
will gain the way of arhatship and will be replete with the six
superknowledges. On the second day, ninety- six ko.tis of people will
gain the way of arhatship. On the third day ninety- three ko.tis of
people will gain the way of arhatship. From this time onward he will
bring an innumerable number of people to deliverance. Then, after a
long time, the people will become lazy and reluctant to cultivate.
When Maitreya sees that the people in the assembly are like
this, he will use his toe to split open Mt. Grdhrakuta. At that time,
Mahakasyapa's skeleton, dressed in the sa.mghaatii robe will come forth
and pay reverence at the feet of Maitreya. He will ascend into space
and manifest again the various transformations described before. Then
in the midst of space, he will make his body disappear as he enters
parinirvana.
At that time the disciples of Maitreya Buddha will be astonished
and will ask, "Who was that man who looked so like a person, but yet was
so small? His body was wearing the Dharma robes and he was able to
display such transformations."
Maitreya Buddha will say, "That was a disciple of the former
Buddha, Shakyamuni. His name was Mahakasyapa. He cultivated dwelling
in an ara.nya where he had but few desires and was easily contented.
Among the bhikshus who cultivated the dhuutaguu.na practices he was
foremost. He was a great arhat who had obtained the six superknowledges
and the complete liberation. At that time, the lifespan of people was a
hundred years, with a few exceeding it but most not reaching it. If he,
with such a small body, was able to succeed at such a great matter, why
do not all of you, with such sizable physiques and sharp faculties,
engage in merit such as this?"
At that time, all of his disciples will be repentant and will
develop a great aversion[to worldly dharmas]. Maitreya Buddha,
according with the minds of those beings, will speak all manner of
dharmas for their sakes. There will be those who gain arhatship, the
stage of the anaagaamin, the stage of the sak.rdaagaamin, and the stage
of the srotaaapanna. There will be those who plant the roots of
goodness of the pratyekabuddha. There will be those who gain the
patience arising from the realization of the non- production of dharmas
and the stage of the non- retreating bodhisattva. There will be those
who obtain rebirth in the heavens where they shall experience all manner
of blessings and bliss. On account of this one should know that Mt.
Grdhrakuta is an auspicious place replete with meritorious qualities and
is a place where holy men like to dwell and where the Buddha, for the
sake of holy men, dwelt himself. For this reason the Buddha mostly
dwelt at Mt. Grdhrakuta.

End Notes

A ko.ti is a very large number which, if taken literally, is equal to
10,000,000. [back to text]

An ara.nya is a secluded and quiet hermitage. [back to text]

The dhuutaguu.na practices are a set of twelve austere, but beneficial,
practices specifically recommended by the Buddha. They include such
practices as: eating only a single meal each day, that meal being
completed prior to solar noon; eating only a limited and fixed amount of
food at one's single meal each day; dwelling in an ara.nya; dwelling in
a charnel field (the better to contemplate the impermanence and impurity
of the body); and sleeping only in a sitting posture and never lying
down. Not to be confused with the nonbeneficial ascetic practices which
the Buddha specifically discouraged.