4.
The Book of the Fours
1.
Commentary on the Verses of the Elder Nun Bhaddā Kāpilānī
63-66.
In the Book of Fours, the verses of the elder nun Bhaddā Kāpilānī beginning with "The son, the heir of the Buddha."
It is said that she, in the time of the Blessed One Padumuttara, having been reborn in a family home in the city of Haṃsavatī, having attained discretion, while hearing the Teaching in the presence of the Teacher, having seen the Teacher establishing a certain nun in the foremost position among those who recollect past lives, having performed the preparatory action, herself too having aspired to that position of rank, having made merit for as long as life lasted, having passed away from there, wandering in the round of rebirths among gods and humans, when a Buddha had not arisen, having been reborn in a family home in Bārāṇasī, having gone to her husband's family, one day, while making a dispute with her husband's sister, when that one had given almsfood to an Individually Enlightened One, thinking "This one, having given a gift to him, will obtain lofty success," having taken the bowl from the hand of the Individually Enlightened One, having thrown away the food, having filled it with mud, she gave it.
The public reproached -
"Foolish one, what has the Individually Enlightened One done wrong to you?"
She, being ashamed by their words, having again taken the bowl, having taken out the mud, having washed it, having rubbed it with scented powder, having filled it with the four sweets, having placed it shining with ghee of the colour of the interior of a lotus poured over the top in the hands of the Individually Enlightened One, made the aspiration "Just as this almsfood has become radiant, so may my body become radiant."
She, having passed away from there, wandering only in fortunate destinations, in the time of the Buddha Kassapa, was reborn as the daughter of a millionaire of great wealth in Bārāṇasī.
Having a foul-smelling body as a result of former action, having become one to be loathed by people, with a sense of urgency arisen, having had a golden brick made from her own ornaments, she established it at the shrine of the Blessed One, and made an offering with a handful of water-lilies.
On account of that, her body became fragrant and charming in that very existence.
She, having become dear and agreeable to her husband, having done wholesome deeds for as long as life lasted, having passed away from there, was reborn in heaven.
There too, having experienced divine happiness for as long as life lasted, having passed away from there, having become the daughter of the king of Bārāṇasī, experiencing there success similar to divine success, having attended upon the Individually Enlightened Ones for a long time, when they had attained final Nibbāna, with a sense of urgency arisen, having gone forth in the going forth of a hermit, dwelling in a park, having developed the meditative absorptions, having been reborn in the Brahma world, having passed away from there, having been reborn in the house of a brahmin family of the Kosiya clan in the city of Sāgala, having grown up with great care, having come of age, she was led to the house of the young man Pipphali in the great ford village.
When he had departed to go forth, having abandoned a great mass of wealth and a great circle of relatives, having gone out for the purpose of the going forth, having entered a sectarians' park for five years, at a later time, having obtained the going forth and full ordination in the presence of Mahāpajāpati Gotamī, having established insight, before long she attained arahantship.
Therefore it was said in the Apadāna -
A hundred thousand cosmic cycles ago from now, the Leader arose.
A millionaire with abundant wealth, I was his wife.
Heard the teaching of the Buddha, which dispels all suffering and fear.
Having heard, having given a week-long gift to the Buddha, such a one.
He, the bull among men, gladdening the assembly then.
'You will obtain the wished for state, be one with passion quenched, dear son.
Gotama by name, by clan, the Teacher in the world will be.
Kassapa by clan, will be a disciple of the Teacher.'
With a mind of friendliness he tended, with requisites, the Guide.
And having trained those fit to be trained, he, together with his disciples, attained final Nibbāna.
Having brought together relatives and friends, together with them he made an offering.
Blazing like the sun with a hundred rays, like a fully blossomed king of sal trees.
Shining like a fire of reeds, with the seven jewels.
For the purpose of venerating the great sage, compassionate towards all beings.
Filled with jewels indeed, for the purpose of venerating the great sage.
They outshine in beauty, like the sun in autumn.
Raised delightful planks shine, made of jewels.
Banners hoisted, the jewels shine brilliantly.
It outshines in beauty, like the sun at evening.
One with red arsenic, and one with eye ointment.
He gave a gift to the Community, for as long as life, according to his strength.
Having done so for as long as life, together they went to a fortunate destination.
Like a shadow with the body, together with that very one I wandered in the round of rebirths.
Arose, lovely to behold, one with insight into all phenomena.
Being wealthy in virtue, but very poor in riches.
Sometimes that excellent twice-born one met with the great sage.
Having heard the Teaching, greatly delighted, he gave a single cloth.
Rejoice in the great merit, the cloth given to the Buddha.
The cloth is well given, my lord, to the Buddha, the foremost, such a one.
In the charming city of Bārāṇasī, there was a king, a lord of the earth.
I was beloved to him, through former affection for my husband.
Having seen them, being greatly delighted, having given very precious almsfood.
A bowl made by smiths, golden, indeed of such size.
To those seated on golden seats, devoted, with his own hands.
Again I in Bārāṇasī, was born in a Kāsika village.
I was the wife of the eldest brother, a devoted wife.
Having given him a portion of food, when he came I spoke to him.
Having brought that food in a pot, he gave it again to that very one.
That bowl filled with mud, I gave to such a one.
Having seen his face with equanimous mind, then I was stirred exceedingly.
With a confident mind, having filled it, I gave ghee and sugar.
But with foul-smelling speech owing to injury to the Buddha.
I gave an excellent golden brick, joyful.
Freed from the fault of bad odour, well-endowed with all limbs.
Having made them filled with ghee, and wicks by the thousands.
For the purpose of honouring the Protector of the World, with a clear mind.
Again born among the Kāsis, renowned as Sumitta.
Then to the solitary sage, I gave a thick head-wrap.
Again in the Kāsi country, born of the Koliya clan.
Attended upon five hundred Individually Enlightened Ones.
His wife then I was, following the path of meritorious action.
I was also his chief queen, endowed with all sensual pleasures.
Of the sons of Padumavatī, the solitary sages then.
Having housed them in a royal garden, and I worshipped those who were quenched.
Having developed the boundless states, we went to the Brahma world.
His mother was Sumanadevī, his father a twice-born of the Kosiya clan.
I was the daughter of Kappila, a brahmin, my mother was Sucīmatī.
Gave me to Kassapa the wise, to his hermitage, one who had renounced sensual pleasures.
Having seen living beings being eaten by crows and so on, he was stirred.
Worms being eaten by crows, I then gained a sense of urgency.
For five rains retreats I dwelt, I as a wandering ascetic.
Then I, having approached her, was advised by the Buddha.
Oh, the good friendship of the glorious Kassapa!
He who knows past lives, and sees heaven and the realms of misery.
By these three true knowledges, one becomes a possessor of the threefold true knowledge, a brahmin.
Bears her final body, having conquered Māra with his mount.
We are ones who have eliminated the mental corruptions, tamed, become cool, quenched.
But having attained arahantship, she was a master through practice in the knowledge of past lives. Therein, because she had made her aspiration with surpassing distinction, afterwards the Teacher, seated in the midst of the noble company at Jeta's Grove, while establishing the nuns in succession in their respective positions, established her in the foremost position among those who recollect past lives. She, one day, preceded by praise of the virtues of the Elder Mahākassapa, uttering an inspired utterance by way of making clear her own fulfilment of duty and so on -
63.
He who knows past lives, and sees heaven and the realms of misery.
64.
By these three true knowledges, one becomes a possessor of the threefold true knowledge, a brahmin.
65.
Bears her final body, having conquered Māra with his army.
66.
We are ones who have eliminated the mental corruptions, tamed, become cool, quenched."
He spoke these verses.
Therein, "the son, the heir of the Buddha" means a son born after the Fully Self-Enlightened One by virtue of being one who has awakened following the Buddha, and thereby an heir through the taking up of the nine supramundane teachings which constitute his inheritance. Kassapa is "well concentrated" through the state of well-concentrated mind by means of mundane and supramundane concentrations. "He who knows past lives" means the Elder Mahākassapa who, having made manifest the past lives - the continuity of aggregates dwelt in by himself and others - through the knowledge of recollecting past lives, knew, understood, and penetrated them. "And sees heaven and the realms of misery" means he sees with the divine eye heaven with its division into twenty-six god realms and the fourfold realm of misery, as if an emblic myrobalan on the palm of the hand.
"And also has attained the destruction of birth" means beyond that, he has attained arahantship reckoned as the destruction of birth. Through direct knowledge, having directly known with most excellent knowledge the phenomena that should be directly known, having fully understood what should be fully understood, having abandoned what should be abandoned, having realized what should be realized, he is accomplished, has reached the goal, with obligations fulfilled. He is a sage because of having attained wisdom reckoned as the wisdom of the elimination of mental corruptions.
"Likewise Bhaddā Kāpilānī" means just as Mahākassapa is a possessor of the threefold true knowledge by these three true knowledges as stated above, and victorious over death, likewise Bhaddā Kāpilānī is a possessor of the threefold true knowledge and victorious over death. "Therefore she bears her final body, having conquered Māra with his army" - she shows herself as if speaking of another.
Now, showing "just as the elder's practice is good in the beginning, the middle, and the end, so too is mine," she spoke the concluding verse "having seen the danger." Therein, "we are ones who have eliminated the mental corruptions, tamed" means we - the Elder Mahākassapa and I - are tamed with the highest self-control and are in every respect ones who have eliminated the mental corruptions. "Become cool, quenched" means precisely from that, through the absence of the fever of mental defilements, become cool, and quenched through the Nibbāna element with residue of clinging - we are, we exist - this is the meaning.
The commentary on the verses of the elder nun Bhaddā Kāpilānī is concluded.
The commentary on the Book of Fours is concluded.