Great Deeds of the Buddha Booklet KhenpoKalsang Gyaltsen

Book 3

Great Deeds of the Buddha Khenpo Kalsang Gyaltsen

Great Deeds of the Buddha Khenpo Kalsang Gyaltsen

Tsechen Kunchab Ling Publications Walden, New York

Tsechen Kunchab Ling Publications

Printed in May 2015

This booklet was prepared by Khenpo Kalsang’s devoted students. Susan Mader sponsored the booklet. Ani Jhampa Nyima did the cover design. Transcription was done by Kevin Lyons. Chodrung-ma Kunga Chodron and Jamyang Losel did editing and layout. By this merit, may the life of Venerable Khenpo Kalsang Gyaltsen and all holy teachers be long and their teachings flourish.

There is no charge for this book. Donations to the publication fund are greatly appreciated and will help us to print more copies to distribute to others. Tsechen Kunchab Ling Temple of All-Encompassing Great Compassion Seat of His Holiness the Sakya Trizin in the United States 12 Edmunds Lane Walden, New York 12586 www.sakyatemple.org +1-301-906-3378 [email protected]

Contents

Praise of the Twelve Deeds of Lord Buddha

1

Great Deeds of the Buddha  Khenpo Kalsang Gyaltsen

9

 A Commentary on the Great Deeds of the Buddha  Khenpo Kunga Wangchuk

31

Praise of the Twelve Deeds of Lord Buddha Prostrations to you, King of the Shakyas, whose body is radiant like a mountain of gold. Through skillful means and compassion, you took birth in the Shakya clan and vanquished the hosts of Mara that others could not conquer. Prostrations to you who awakened first the resolve to attain enlightenment, then fully perfected the accumulations of merit and wisdom to become the protector of living beings through your vast spiritual works in this age. Prostrations to you, who while ruling the gods knew that the time had come to bring the law to living beings. Descending from the realm of celestials, you foresaw the clan into which you would take birth, and like a great elephant entered the womb of Mayadevi. Prostrations to you, Scion of the Shakya Clan, at whose birth in the grove of Lumbini ten full months thereafter, Brahma and Shakra came to pay homage and sages proclaimed with certainty that you belonged to the lineage of great beings.

1

Prostrations to you, Incomparable One, who as a youthful, powerful lion among men showed the miracle of Angamagadhara and deflated the pride of conceited ones. Prostrations to you, Incomparable One, who as a youthful, powerful lion among men showed the miracle of Angamagadhara and deflated the pride of conceited ones. Prostrations to you, Incomparable One, who as a youthful, powerful lion among men showed the miracle of Angamagadhara and deflated the pride of conceited ones. Prostrations to you, who through skill in means, sustained a kingdom and assumed a retinue and queen to accord with the customs of worldlings and help them become free from error. Prostrations to you who perceived that worldly affairs are insubstantial, renounced the householder’s life, and went forth to accomplish the stages of renunciation at each one of the immaculate stupas. Prostrations to you who dwelt in austerity for six years beside the Nairanjana River, diligently intent on attaining enlightenment, and, perfect in vigor, attained there the highest stage of meditation. Prostrations to you who, in order to bring to fruition the efforts you had made throughout beginningless time, sat beneath the Bodhi tree in Magadha and awakened to perfect enlightenment.

2

Prostrations to you who then quickly looked upon beings with compassion, and at Varanasi and other holy places, turned the wheel of the doctrine to help them also traverse to liberation by relying on the three vehicles. Prostrations to you, Sage Victorious in Spiritual Battle, who vanquished the demons in the land of Khormo Jik, and put an end to the erroneous wranglings of Devadatta, the six heretical sages, and others. Prostrations to you who with virtues unequalled in the three worlds, manifested the great miracle at Shravasti, and caused the doctrine to be greatly enhanced by the reverence of gods, humans, and all other beings. Prostrations to you who to move lazy disciples to hasten their efforts, manifested the perishing of your deathless, adamantine body at the pure abode of Kushinagara, and passed beyond into peace. Prostrations to you who left behind eight aspects of your body and many relics to show that in reality, you had not perished, and to help future beings acquire merit through their worship. Through the merit of this brief eulogy in praise of the deeds of the Blessed One, our Master in the holy teaching, may all living beings also become equal to the Buddha in their own works. O Tathagata, whatever form, retinue, lifespan, and pure land you have, likewise whatever marks of

3

perfection you possess, may I and others also become  just like that. Prostrations to the thousand fully enlightened Buddhas, who made similar aspirations arising from genuine virtuous accumulations, became a brotherhood while performing virtuous conduct, and accomplished all deeds within one noble eon.

4

མཛད་བ་བཅ་གཉསི ་ཀ་ི བྟད་པ་བཞགས་སྟ།། (dzed wa cu nyi kyi tod pa zhug so)

Thab khe thug jei sha kyai rig su trung zhen kyi mi thub dut kyi pung jom pa ser gyi hlun po ta wur jet pai ku sha kyai gyal po chot la chag tsal lo Kang gi dang por chang chub thug kyet ne sot nam ye she tsog nyi dzog dzet ching du dir dzet pa gya chen dro wa yi gon gyur kyot la dag gi tot par gyi Hla nam dul dzet dul wai du kyen ne hla le bab ne lang chen tar sheg te rig la zig ne hla mo gyu trul kyi hlum su zhug par dzet la chag tsal lo Da wa chu dzog sha kyai sre po de tra shi lum bii tsal du tam pai tse tsang dang gya jin gyi tu tsen chog ni chang chub rig su nge la chag tsal lo Zhon nu tob den mi yi seng ge de ang ga ma ga dar ni gyu tsal ten kye wo dreg pa chen nam tsar chet ne dren da met par dzet la chag tsal lo

5

Jig ten chot dang thun par cha wa dang kha na ma tho pang chir tsun mo yi khor dang den dzet thab la khe pa yi gyal srit kyong bar dzet la chag tsal lo Khor wai ja war nying po met zig ne kyim ne chung te kha la shek ne kyang chot ten nam dag drung du nyit le nyit rab tu chung bar dzet la chag tsal lo Tson pe chang chub drub par gong ne ni ne ren dza nai dram du lo druk tu ka wa chet ne tson dru thar chin te sam ten chog nye dzet la chag tsal lo Thog ma met ne bet pa don yot chir ma ga da yi chang chub shing drung du kyil trung mi yo ngon par sang gye ne chang chub dzog par dzet la chag tsal lo Thug je dro la nyur du zig ne ni wa ra na si la sog ne chok tu cho kyi khor lo kor ne dul cha nam theg pa sum la got dzet chak tsal lo Zhen kyi gol wa ngen pa tsar chet chir mu teg ton pa drug dang lhe jin sog khor mo jig gi yul du dut nam tul thub pa yul gyal dzet la chag tsal lo Srit pa sum na pe met yon ten kyi nyen du yot par cho trul chen po ten hla mi dro wa kun kyi rab chot pe ten pa gye par dzet la chag tsal lo

6

Le lo chen nam nyur du kul wai chir tsa chog drong gi sa zhi tsang ma ru chi met dor je ta wui ku sheg ne nya ngen de war dzet la chag tsal lo  Yang dag nyit du jig pa met chir dang ma ong sem chen sot nam thob chai chir de nyit du ni ring sel mang trul ne ku dung cha gyet dzet la chag tsal lo De tar ten pai dak po chom den kyi dzet pai tsul la do tsam tot pa yi ge we dro wa kun kyi chot pa yang de sheg nyit kyi chot dang tsung par shok Sha kyai gyal po kyet ku chi dra dang khor dang ku tsei tset dang zhing kham dang kyet kyi tsen chog zang po chi dra wa de dra kho nar dak sog gyur war shog Thun pei mon lam ge tsog mit jung pe / kyit pa chot tse na yang chet gyur la kal zang chig la dzit pa tar chin pei dzog pei sang gye tong la chag tsal lo

7

8

Great Deeds of the Buddha  Khenpo Kalsang Gyaltsen

First, it is important to create the right motivation and behavior to receive Dharma teachings. That means that we should change our motivation to think, “In order to benefit all sentient beings, I must reach the highest attainment, just as the Buddha did. For that purpose, I am studying this Dharma teaching, and having learned it, I will put it into practice and follow the footsteps of the Buddha.” Today, we will learn about the excellent holy deeds of Lord Buddha Shakyamuni and also some of the stories of his previous lives. Generally, explanations of the spiritual career of the Buddha Shakyamuni can organized in three parts. The first part is how he generated enlightenment thought. The second is how for three countless eons he accumulated enormous merit and wisdom in order to pursue enlightenment. The third is, as a result of that accumulation of merit and wisdom, finally, he performed the twelve noble deeds and achieved the highest attainment, Buddhahood, in order to benefit boundless living beings.

9

Great Deeds of the Buddha Im portant Events in the Buddha’s Previous Lives The first part of the Buddha’s spiritual career describes how he generated enlightenment thought.  A long time ago, the Buddha Shakyamuni was not different than any of us. In those days, he also possessed negative emotions, negative karma, and so forth. As a result of his negative karma, he fell into a hell realm where he and another being also suffering in hell were forced to pull a heavy chariot while being chased by very cruel guards in hell known as  yamas. The other being suffering beside him was too weak to pull the chariot, but still the yamas shouted, “Pull harder,” and beat them with iron hammers to try to force them to pull harder. The Buddha in that early previous life felt great compassion for the other person and cried, “He is too weak to pull the cart! He simply has no strength! Let me pull for him and let him go free!” Saying this, his heart filled with compassion, he tried to take the other being’s suffering. The yamas shouted, “You have your own work. If that is not enough for you, we will beat you some more!” Saying that, they beat the head of the Buddha in that previous live with a hammer, and he passed away. By the merit of his great compassion, he took rebirth in Tushita heaven as the son of a god. This is the story of how the Buddha first generated compassion. Then after that life as a son of the gods in Tushita heaven was exhausted, our Lord was later born as the son of a potter in this realm of Jambudvipa. He had a strong attitude and virtuous thoughts. In those days, another Buddha, also known as Shakyamuni, visited the area where the potter’s son lived. The boy was greatly inspired by hearing of that Buddha Shakyamuni and went to see him. Upon meeting him, the potter’s son knelt

10

Explanation of the Twelve Deeds before that aspiration:

Buddha

Shakyamuni

and

made

the

Shakya gyalpo khet ku chi dra dang Khor dang ku tse’i tsed dang zhing kam dang Khyed kyi tsan chog zang po chi dra wa De dra kho nar dag sog gyur war shog Oh Tathagata, Whatever form, retinue, lifespan, and pure lands you have, Likewise, whatever marks of perfection you possess, May I and others also become just like that. Because of that heartfelt prayer, the Buddha Shakyamuni of our present eon also has the same name, and is of the same clan as that Buddha Shakyamuni of ancient times. That is how our Lord made the aspiration to become enlightened. Then for one countless eon, he continuously accumulated merit and wisdom and venerated millions and millions of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. As a result of that accumulation of merit and wisdom, he achieved the level of a first bhumi bodhisattva.  After that, he continued to pursue that exalted path, and accumulated merit and wisdom for one more countless eon and as a result of that, he reached the stage of an eighth bumi bodhisattva. By now, he had accumulated merit and wisdom for two countless eons.  At that point, the great Bodhisattva met the Buddha Dipamkara. The Buddha Dipamkara prophesized, “In the future, this being will become a perfectly enlightened Buddha in Jambudvipa and his name will be Shakyamuni.”

11

Great Deeds of the Buddha Then the Bodhisattva continuously accumulated merit and wisdom, venerated countless Buddhas and bodhisattvas and benefitted infinite living beings. As a result of that, he reached the tenth bhumi bodhisattva stage.  As a tenth-bhumi bodhisattva, he became the chief of all celestial beings, known as Bodhisattva White Crown, because he had a white unisha on the top of his head. He was the king of Tushita heaven, and he remained there for a long time as the king of the god realms. Then, it became time to perform the activities prophesized by the Buddha Kashapa. Many Buddhas and bodhisattvas came to request him, “Now is the time to perform the twelve deeds of a Buddha, and to depart for Jambudvipa to demonstrate the deeds of a Buddha for the benefit of living beings. To fulfill their requests, he decided to descend to Jambudvipa. When it came time to depart, he appointed the Bodhisattva Maitreya as his regent. Before his descent, Bodhisattva White Crown foresaw five auspicious things about the place where he would take birth: the world, which was this Jambudvipa; the place, which was a central area of India known as Lumbini; the clan, which was the pure, royal Shakya clan; the time, which was when human beings are fully developed; and the mother who was Mayadevi, who possessed thirty-two great positive qualities. Seeing these five auspicious things, Bodhisattva White Crown decided to descend to Jambudvipa. Up to here we have recounted some stories of the Buddha’s previous lives. Now we begin the story of the Buddha’s most recent life.

12

Explanation of the Twelve Deeds The Twelve Deeds of the Buddha  Deeds One and Two: Descent from Tushita Heaven & Entering the Mother’s Womb The Buddha’s life story begins with his conception, when he entered the womb of his mother, Queen Mayadevi. He entered the womb in the form of a white elephant with six tusks. Of course, ordinarily an elephant has two tusks but this one had six tusks and was decorated with gold, precious jewels, and golden tassels. In that form, he descended from Tusita heaven on the auspicious night of the fifteenth of the lunar month of Vesak, which falls in the spring. At the same time Queen Mayadevi dreamed that a white elephant descended from the celestial realm and entered in her body from her right side. The next day she explained her auspicious dream to a brahmin who knew the signs of dreams. He told the king and queen, “This is not an ordinary dream, it is of tremendous significance. Your son will either become a universal emperor or a perfectly enlightened Buddha. Otherwise such signs do not occur for an ordinary person.”  Deed Three: Birth  After the Bodhisattva had dwelt for ten months in his mother’s womb, thirty-two auspicious signs appeared. In the royal gardens, many flowers bloomed, especially utpala flowers. In the royal family’s neighborhood, many other auspicious omens also occurred. Then in the month of spring, Queen Mayadevi decided to travel to Lumbini garden which is located between the kingdom of the Buddha’s father King Shuddodana and the place where Queen Mayadevi was born. Arriving at the garden, she resided there for a while, and on the

13

Great Deeds of the Buddha fifteenth day of the month of Vesak she gave birth to the Buddha. At the moment he was born, she was holding one branch of a sala tree and the Buddha emerged from her right side, without causing any kind of wound. When he emerged, many of the senior people in the Queen’s retinue tried to hold him, but he did not let them hold him. Then the kings of the gods such as Brahma and Indra appeared and received him, served, and venerated him. On the first day, immediately after his birth he pronounced, “Let me walk!” With that declaration, he took seven steps to the east; seven steps to the south; seven steps to the west, and seven steps to the north. With each of the steps that he took in the four directions, a lotus flower grew out of the soil under his feet. He spoke extraordinary words. When he walked to the east he said, “I will accomplish all virtuous acts.” When he walked to the south, he said, “I will be the object of veneration by humans and gods.” When he walked to the west, he said, “This is my last rebirth. Birth, aging, illness, and de ath will not occur for me anymore.” When he walked to the north, he said, “I will be supreme and exalted among all beings.” He then looked downward and said, “I will extinguish the fires of hell and subjugate all the negative forces.” He then looked up to the sky and said, “I will life every being high.” He made these four great declarations and walked seven steps in each direction within minutes after taking birth in Lumbini Garden. By this story alone, we can see that this was not an ordinary birth. The Buddha was none other than an enlightened being who purposely took rebirth in the human realm. The earth in that entire area gently quaked, and bright lights shown in the sky both day and night. Many other auspicious signs appeared, such as the five hundred attendants voluntarily came to serve him,

14

Explanation of the Twelve Deeds and the five hundred treasures were offered to the kingdom, and many other children of kings and royal families were born on the same day. Because of these events, King Shudodana was extremely happy to have such a wonderful son, and the young prince was given the name Siddhartha, which means accomplishment. Later there was a yogi named Krishna and his nephew who lived to the north. They both saw a very bright, unusual light, like the light of the sun, which pervaded every direction. The nephew asked, “What kind of light is this? Is it the light of the sun or something else?” The yogi Krishna said, “Sunlight is bright and warm; but this light is bright and cool. Therefore this light comes not from the sun, but from a teacher who gives light to every living being. This is a sign that a great being, a bodhisattva, or a Buddha has purposely appeared.” The nephew requested, “Shall we go to see the bodhisattva?” Krishna answered, “Right now, the bodhisattva is being taken care by large powerful beings, including the king of gods, so we will not be able to see him. When the Bodhisattva returns to his kingdom, we may be able to see him. Let’s go at that time.” Seven days after the Bodhisattva took birth, his mother passed away and took rebirth in Tushita Heaven. However, her passing was not the result of the Buddha’s birth. In fact, every enlightened being’s story shows that their mother passed away soon after the great being took birth. After that, Siddhartha was taken care of by his aunt, Maha Prajnapati Gautami, who was actually his mother’s sister.  As an infant, Siddhartha was extremely calm and had very good concentration, sitting like a great meditator. Therefore, the people of the Shakya clan said, “He is

15

Great Deeds of the Buddha unusual, like a great sage, so we should call him “Sakyamuni,” which means “Sage of the Shakyas.” “Muni” means “one who is skilled in concentration,” or “sage”. This how he came to be known as Sakyamuni.  A brahmin saw it would be auspicious to come with his retinue to King Shuddodana’s palace in Kapilavastu. He requested the king to lead him to see his son. King Shuddodana replied, “My son is taking a nap.” The brahmin said, “I came from far away to see what kind of auspicious signs appear on his body. I would like to behold him as he sleeps.” King Shuddodana agreed, and the yogi could see that Siddhartha was sleeping without closing the eyes. The yogi said, “This is an auspicious sign. This is not regular sleep. The child dwells in the state of clear light.” This and many other signs were visible upon the Bodhisattva. The Brahmin said, “Looking at these signs, I would say that this infant bodhisattva will not become an ordinary being. There are only two possibilities: If he remains in his kingdom, no doubt he will become a universal emperor; if he does not remain in his kingdom, he possesses all the causes, conditions, and signs that predict that he will become a perfectly and fully enlightened being.” Then the yogi smiled and shed tears. Shuddodana asked him, “Why do you smile, and why do you cry?” The yogi said, “I smile due to my extreme joy at seeing such a great being who possesses all of these various auspicious signs. I shed tears from disappointment because looking at myself, when he becomes an enlightened being I will have already departed from this world, so I will not be able to attend the teachings given by this great being.” The yogi also prophesized, “He will be around age thirty five when he becomes perfectly enlightened,” he prophesized. Then he did circumambulations and paid

16

Explanation of the Twelve Deeds homage, composed many meaningful poems, and then returned where he lived.  Deed Four: Brilliantly Accomplishing Many Feats When he grew to be a young boy, King Shuddodana sent Siddhartha to school. On the first day, when he arrived at school, his teacher taught him many different scripts, every script that that he knew, and Siddhartha learned them all effortlessly. He then asked the teacher, “Teach me more scripts.” The teacher said, “I’m said to be the most learned person in the area, but I do not know any more scripts than these.” Siddhartha said, “In that case, I may know more than you.” Then Siddhartha taught his teacher sixty -four different scripts even though he had never learned them in this lifetime. His teacher greatly admired his ability and said, “I do not even know the names of these scripts. It is amazing that there exists a being so pure that he knows every script without needing to learn it. All of the general knowledge in this world is learned from worldly beings who follow other worldly beings. You are the only one who does not need to be educated by other worldly beings. This is something very unusual. No doubt you are a pure being.” He praised him tremendously in this way. All the other children were surprised, delighted, and amazed about Siddhartha’s skills and the knowledge. Once when the bodhisattva Siddhartha was traveling in the area, he sat down under a nearby tree. The tree cast a shadow that moved like a ghost. But as long as Siddhartha sat under the tree, the shadow did not move  –  even though the sun moved, the shadow of the tree did not. Meanwhile, a rishi and mediators who had the power

17

Great Deeds of the Buddha to fly in the sky tried to fly over the area, but they were unable to come close because of Siddhartha’s power. These and many other amazing things occurred.  Deed Five: Taking a Queen and Retinue Because of all that had occurred, the senior Shakya family members conferred together and decided that because Siddhartha’s body displayed tremendous auspicious omens, he should be their future leader. Therefore they requested the King to have Siddhartha remain in the kingdom to continue the king’s familial lineage. Their request caused King Suddhodana to encourage Siddhartha to take a consort.  At first, the boddhisattva didn’t agree. Then he reconsidered, saying, “If my family says that I must remain in the kingdom, then I need a consort who would not contradict me; my wife should have all the positive qualities of a lady. If they find such a lady, I will agree to remain in the kingdom.” Then he wrote out all the positive qualities that he required his wife to have, and gave the list to his father. King Shuddodana was very happy, and sent his ministers everywhere in the area, but they could not find such a lady. No one had all of those qualities. Shakya Dandapani’s daughter, Yasodhara, saw the letter of required qualifications and said, “These are exactly the qualifications that I have, therefore I might be a suitable candidate.”  A minister took her message to King Shuddodana. The king examined her and offered her to Siddhartha who accepted her as a consort. Then he remained in the kingdom as a royal prince.

18

Explanation of the Twelve Deeds  Deed Six: Renunciation Siddhartha dwelt in the kingdom for many years, until the age of twenty-seven. Then he heard celestial sounds in the palace reminding him of his previous aspirations and resolutions, saying to him, “All Tathagatas must follow the previous Tathagatas. Do not enjoy the luxuries of samsara, but work for the benefit of other sentient beings.” He was reminded of his resolutions in his previous lives to perform virtuous actions and to become the protector of living beings. Because of this, Siddhartha intended to leave the kingdom. His father, King Shuddodana noticed the bodhisattva’s intent and added layers of extra security around the palace so that Siddhartha could not leave the royal palace and gardens. Shuddodana told his ministers and retinue that his son was feeling a bit disappointed, so they should take him for an outing to gardens in various directions, and encourage him to remain in the kingdom. On Siddhartha’s outing to the eastern garden, he saw a person who was extremely bent over and miserable. He asked, “Who is that?” His attendant told him, “That is a member of your kingdom suffering from old age.” Siddhartha asked, “Do we all have to go through that same process?” His attendant replied, “Yes. There is no choice. Everyone who does not die young has to go through the process of old age.” Siddhartha said, “Then what is the use for us to go to the garden and have fun? Let us go back to the palace,” and he returned to the palace feeling quite depressed. The next day they took him to garden in the south. On the way, they saw a very sick person, suffering terribly

19

Great Deeds of the Buddha from an illness. Siddhartha asked his attendant, “What’s the matter with that person? What can we do?” His attendant attendant told him, “That person has a disease. That is the suffering s uffering of illness.” Siddhartha asked the same question as before, “Do we all have to go through that process?” His attendant replied “Yes.” Siddhartha could no longer enjoy himself so they turned back to the palace. This was the second cause of his disappointment. The next day they took him to a garden in the west. There, they saw four people carrying an object wrapped in cloth. Siddhartha asked, “What are they carrying? What’s going on?” His attendant attendant told him, “That is someone who has died, and what is being carried is a dead body that is called a corpse.” Siddhartha asked, “Does everyone have to go through that process?” His attendant answered, “There is no choice. Everyone has to go through the t he process of death.” Siddhartha said, “Then there is no pleasure at all in samsara. We should go back to the palace.” Thus he felt distressed in samsara and in the palace. The next day they took him to a garden in the north. There they saw a mendicant or meditator who walked very calmly, with a very peaceful demeanor. Siddhartha asked, “Who is that person?” His attendant told him, “He is one known as a bhikshu, a meditating monk who is free from suffering.” Siddhartha said, “I myself wish, if it is pos sible, to become free from suffering.” Saying this, he returned to the palace. Siddhartha told his father that he truly wished to renounce samsara and asked for his permission to

20

Explanation of the Twelve Deeds become a monk. However, his father refused. The king said, “If you ask for anything an ything other than this, I will grant it, but this is the one thing I cannot grant you.” Then Siddhartha asked the king, “Then could you grant me that I will not have to go through the processes of aging, illness, and death?” The king replied, “No, son that tha t is not in my power to grant you.” Siddartha Siddart ha then asked, “Then even if I must go through this life, can you grant me that I will not have to take another birth, and experience these processes again and again?” The king said, “No, this also I cannot grant.” Siddhartha said, “Then I cannot see any reason that I should continue to remain in the kingdom. Please grant my first request, so that I may leave the kingdom and renounce the world.” The king said, “In that case I have no choice, do whatever you wish wish to do.” Thus his father also agreed. When the night came, he asked his attendant, Channa, to prepare his horse. By the power of his celestial retinue, all of the palace guards and the kingdom fell into a very deep sleep. They left the palace and the horse flew through the sky from Kapilavastu to a place a long way from the kingdom. It was morning when they reached their destination. Siddhartha said, “This is the place where I shall become a renunciate.” He gave all of his royal ornaments, jewelry, fine clothing, and other precious things to Channa and sent them back to the kingdom with his horse. Siddhartha himself, cut his own hair with his sword. When he had cut it, many celestial beings appeared and took his hair to a heavenly place. Then Siddhartha put on a simple inexpensive religious robe, such as one can

21

Great Deeds of the Buddha find in cemetery. Then he went about in the form of a meditator.  Deed Seven: Seven: Performance Performance of of Austerity Austerity Then the Bodhisattva traveled to Vaishali and many other places, where he wished to receive teachings from great meditators. He met two famous teachers and from them he learned the four meditative absorptions and the four limitless meditations. When each of these teachers taught him meditation, they asked him to practice that meditation, which he did and succeeded, attaining realization equal to his teachers. Both of his teachers asked him to remain with them and become their successor, carrying on their spiritual teaching. But the Bodhisattva Siddhārtha said, “It is not yet my time to act as a teacher. I need to further furt her pursue even higher realization.” Saying this, he refused his teachers’ invitations to remain as their disciple. Then he traveled toward what is now Bodhigaya. There beside the Nairanjana River, he decided to remain in a meditation retreat for six years to further develop his meditation and realization. His father, King Shuddodana and his aunt, Queen Mahaprajnapati Gautami heard that he was travelling about and practicing meditation in that area. They sent a retinue of five hundred people to serve and look after him. When the retinue of five hundred people arrived at the place where he was meditating, Siddhartha saw them and said, “Because I did not like the retinue I had, I renounced my position as prince. Now I have decided to do meditation here. With you all surrounding me here, there is not much difference from my life in the palace.  You should all return to the palace. But in order to not completely refuse my father’s offering, I will accept five from among the retinue of five hundred.”

22

Explanation of the Twelve Deeds Thus, he accepted five people to look after him during the six-year retreat, and they stayed with him. During his six-year retreat, he also did not eat any human food. He ate only one juniper berry every day as sustenance. He resolved to perform his retreat based on that sustenance alone. Later, he decided that that sustenance was too much and he reduced it to one grain of rice a day. Then that he further reduced his sustenance to one sesame seed per day. During his six-year retreat, he did not move from his seat, and did not waver in his meditation and concentration. Thus he practiced extreme austerity in pursuing the spiritual path.  Deed Eight: Approaching the Essence of Enlightenment In order to show that the Buddhist path of enlightenment cannot be pursued only through austerity but also requires skillful means, the bodhisattva Siddhartha decided to arise from his austerity and walk to Bodhgaya. On the way to Bodhgaya he saw a man cutting grass, whose name was Svastika. The Bodhisattva called to him and asked him to give him some kusa grass, saying, “If you give me some kusa  grass, it will be helpful for me, and a greatly beneficial and auspicious omen for you today.” Hearing the Bodhisattva’s request, Svastika offered him the kusa grass. The Bodhisattva approached the shore of the river. There dwelt a farmer’s daughter known as Sujata. She had made an aspiration in a previous life, “When the Buddha is about to attain enlightenment, may I offer the first food to him after his six years of retreat.” Drawn by the power of her aspiration, she approached him and noticed that he was in pain after eating no food at all for so long.

23

Great Deeds of the Buddha She collected the milk of a hundred different cows, concentrated and cooked it, then offered the milk to the Buddha in a golden container and asked him to accept it for her sake. The Buddha accepted the milk and drank it and returned the golden container to her. She requested him to accept the container, too, but Siddhartha returned the container, saying, “No, I cannot  accept a golden container because I am a renunciate monk. I have no need for precious feasts.” Siddhartha then approached the Bodhi tree, sat beneath it on the kusa  grass, and made the aspiration, “Even if the sky falls, and the entire earth crumbles, no matter what happens, I will not move from this place until I attain perfectly enlightened Buddhahood.” With this great aspiration he began his meditation under the Bodhi tree.  Deed Nine: Overcoming Mara Due to that heroic resolution, the entire area began to vibrate. The demons became suspicious that a perfectly enlightened being would attain Buddhahood there and they would be subjugated. Many demons including Mara Papiyan and other negative forces came and tried to disturb his meditation. They threw weapons like stones and spears at Siddhartha. But all of the dangerous weapons that they threw transformed into a shower of flower petals as they neared Siddhartha and none of these distractions disturbed him. He meditated upon loving kindness and compassion, and the weapons became like an offering of flowers. Many demons also appeared in the form of beautiful women who sang and danced. In his meditation he could see them become decayed and aged, and they also could not distract his meditation. So these and many other negative forces occurred while Siddhartha was

24

Explanation of the Twelve Deeds meditating. In this way he completely conquered the demons of Mara.  Deed Ten: Manifesting Supreme Enlightenment  After traveling to Bodhigaya, sitting under the bodhi tree, and subjugating the demons, early in the morning of the fifteenth day of the month of Vesak, Siddhartha achieved perfectly enlightened Buddhahood.  Deed Eleven: Turning the Wheel of Dharma Turning the wheel of dharma includes four activities. The first activity is taming suitable beings by teaching the Dharma according to their needs. The second activity is to tame those beings who cannot be tamed through the peaceful method of Dharma teaching by performing miraculous deeds, as was the case for the taming of the six heretical teachers. The third activity is to perform the benefit of other beings such as animals. There’s a story of a monkey king who collected honey from the forest and offered it to the Buddha in appreciation for hearing Dharma teachings.  Another story tells of an untamed elephant that approached the Buddha and prostrated to him. In this way, he tamed the animal beings. The fourth activity is taming those who indulge in excessive defilement. There was one disciple of the Buddha who had excessive ignorance, and his own younger half-brother Nanda who had excessive desire.  Another disciple, Anguilmala, had excessive anger and killed nine hundred and ninety-nine people. Another disciple had excessive laziness. He tamed these and other disciples with excessive defilements through Dharma teachings and various different methods.

25

Great Deeds of the Buddha  Deed Twelve: Passing into Mahaparinirvana  After performing these holy deeds, in order to teach correct understanding of impermanence in those who view phenomena as permanent, the Buddha manifested the appearance of entering into mahaparinirvana. After entering mahaparinirvana, he produced countless relics which were divided and placed in stupas. These stupas perform the benefit of countless sentient beings by providing a focus for their accumulation of merit and wisdom. These and all the other holy deeds of the Buddha are immeasurable and inconceivable to our mind. However, explaining and learning even some part of his good qualities and limitless wisdom creates tremendous benefit.  Different Enumerations of the Buddha’s Holy Deeds There are various ways of explaining the Buddha’s twelve holy deeds. Different enumerations are not contradictory, but simply different methods of explaining his limitless deeds. We normally explain the twelve deeds as we have here. To summarize, they are: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12.

Descent from Tushita heaven. Entering the mother’s Taking birth Brilliantly accomplishing many feats Taking a queen and retinue Renunciation Performance of austerity Approaching the essence of enlightenment Overcoming Mara Manifesting perfect enlightenment Turning the wheel of Dharma Passing into mahaparinirvana

26

Explanation of the Twelve Deeds However, there are different enumerations. According to other masters, the holy deeds are enumerated as eight in the following way: First, descent from heaven; second, overcoming Mara. Third, manifesting perfectly enlightened Buddhahood and travelling to infinite other realms; fourth, taming suitable beings according to their needs by teaching the Dharma; fifth, taming those beings who cannot be tamed by peaceful methods through the performance of miraculous deeds such the manner in which the six heretical teachers were tamed; sixth, performing the benefit of other types of beings, including animals; seventh; taming those who excessively indulge in defilements; eighth is manifesting impermanence for those who hold the view of eternalism by entering into mahaparinirvana. In this enumeration of eight deeds, of the six holy deeds performed as a Buddha, the first (manifesting perfectly enlightened Buddhahood), and the last (entering mahaparinirvana) are certain in terms of sequence. But the four other holy deeds which are not certain in terms of sequence; and so may be explained in various different orders. Also, the first two deeds were accomplished before attaining enlightenment, and the other six afterward.  Also, in this commentary, manifesting perfect enlightenment and taming beings by teaching the Dharma are basically the same, at a higher level of generalization, as the six holy deeds performed in the state of Buddhahood. Some other masters enumerate the deeds by condensing all four activities relating to teaching and taming beings into the single activity of turning the wheel of Dharma, which contains those four activities.

27

Great Deeds of the Buddha  According to a different method of enumerating holy activities, there are five holy deeds performed as a bodhisattva and three holy deeds performed as a Buddha.  According to yet another enumeration, there are six deeds performed as a bodhisattva: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Descent from heaven Taking birth Enjoying youth Renunciation Proceeding to Bodhigaya Sitting under the Bodhi tree.

 And three deeds performed as a Buddha: 1. 2. 3.

Turning the wheel of dharma Performing miraculous deeds Entering mahaparinirvana

 According to the traditional explanation upon which this commentary was based, there are twelve deeds: nine deeds accomplished as a bodhisattva; and three deeds accomplished as a Buddha. They are: Deeds accomplished as a Bodhisattva: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

Descent from Tushita heaven. Entering the mother’s Taking birth Brilliantly accomplishing many feats Taking a queen and retinue Renunciation Performance of austerity Approaching the essence of enlightenment Overcoming Mara

28

Explanation of the Twelve Deeds

Deeds accomplished as a Buddha: 10. Manifesting perfect enlightenment 11. Turning the wheel of Dharma 12. Passing into mahaparinirvana It is good to know about these different structures of enumeration based on different masters, and the explanations that go with them. This concludes my explanation of the twelve holy deeds of the Buddha Shakyamuni.

Transcribed by K henpo Kalsang’s devoted student Kevin Lyons.

29

Great Deeds of the Buddha

30

Commentary on the Great Deeds of the Buddha  Khenpo Kunga Wangchuk NAMO GURU BUDDHA BODHISATTVA YE!  Among the thousands of Buddhas in this noble eon, May the Excellently Courageous One, like a white lotus, Sole protector of beings difficult to tame in this degenerate age, The peerless teacher, Lord of the Shakyas, be victorious! To my great, kindest, excellent teacher, Who rightly led me into the Buddha's doctrine, I pay homage with devotion, and briefly write Some aspects of the Buddha's holy activities. Generally, the scriptures of the Perfect, Fully Enlightened One contain endless descriptions of which

31

Great Deeds of the Buddha Buddhas appear in which eons. Among them is an explanation is based on the  Badrakalpa Sutra, which describes two types of eons: light eons, and dark eons. The first refers to eons in which Buddhas appear in the world. The second refers to eons in which Buddhas do not appear.  Among light eons, the present one is known as Noble Eon, and during it, one thousand and five Buddhas appear. It will be followed by sixty-five dark eons, during which no Buddhas will appear. Next will come a light eon known as Greatly Melodious, or Greatly Renowned, during which ten thousand Buddhas will appear. Then after eighty dark eons will come a light eon known as Starlike Eon, during which eighty thousand Buddhas will appear. Then after three hundred dark eons will come a light eon known as Range of Good Qualities, during which eighty-four thousand Buddhas will appear. Thus it is described. This Present Eon It is said that when the formation of this planet began in the present eon, one thousand golden lotuses appeared on the water mandala. The gods of the pure realms noticed this and realized that these were symbols of the thousand Buddhas to appear in this eon. They exclaimed "Ema! This is a noble eon." From this description came the name "Noble Eon." This world of existence is known as the "Unweariable Realm" because patience and tolerance are unwearied by the poison of the three negative emotions. The Compassionate White Lotus Sutra  also explains that one thousand and five Buddhas will appear in this eon. The Inconceivable Secret Sutra  and other sources state that one thousand Buddhas will appear. In either

32

 A Commentary case, our present Buddha Shakyamuni is the fourth among those thousand Buddhas. In Homage to the Eight Stupas, Nagarjuna described how the Buddha appeared: First, you generated excellent enlightenment thought,  Accumulated the heaps for three countless eons,  And subjugated the four hindering maras. Prostrations to the Bhagwan Lion. This text describes three topics: how in the beginning the Buddha generated excellent enlightenment thought: in the middle accumulated the heaps for three countless eons; and at the end manifested full and perfect enlightenment.  How the Buddha Shakyamuni Generated Excellent Enlightenment Thought  According to the Mahayana, long ago our Lord Teacher was born, due to his karma, on the molten iron ground of hell as a puller of a chariot of fire together with a being weaker than himself. A hell guardian known as Awang beat the weaker one again and again. By creating compassion for the weaker being, the generation of excellent enlightenment thought began. These circumstances are described in the Repaying Mother's  Kindness Sutra. The Three Heap Sutra describes that long ago our Lord Teacher was born as Thorough Enjoyment, the son of a leading merchant. In that life, he first created enlightenment thought before the Tathagata Perfection of Beauty. The Noble Eon Sutra states:

33

Great Deeds of the Buddha Long ago, when I was ordinary, While offering a bowl of broth To the Tathagata Shakyamuni, I first generated enlightenment thought.  Also, When I was born "Luminous," the son of a potter, I offered to the great Tathagata Shakyamuni,  A clay jar, five shells,  A pair of shoes, and an umbrella. Oh Tathagata, whatever form, Retinue, life span, and pure land you have; Likewise, whatever marks of perfection you possess, May I also become just like that. Because of this aspiration and creation of enlightenment thought, our present Buddha was named Shakyamuni. The Compassionate White Lotus Sutra  states in another verse that long ago, when our Lord Teacher was born the Brahman "Ocean's Atom," he made five hundred great aspirations for the benefit of beings in this degenerate age before the Tathagata Jewel Essence, and first created enlightenment thought. These and other scriptures contain various explanations of the first creation of enlightenment thought.

34

 A Commentary  How the Buddha Shakyamuni Accumulated the  Heaps for Three Countless Eons The Heaps Which Were Accumulated Nagarjuna states: "Arisen from merit and wisdom." Maitreyanatha states: The Bodhisattva's heaps are Peerless merit and wisdom.  Accordingly, the nature of the heaps is the six perfections which contain the accumulation of merit, and the accumulation of wisdom. The time that our Lord Teacher began to accumulate the heaps, and the method by which he accumulated them cannot be considered to be immediately after he generated enlightenment thought. The intent of the Cloud of Jewels Sutra  is described by Asanga in the Condensation of the Vehicles: When the following four qualities are possessed, the three countless eons of accumulation begin. On the path of accumulation they are: possession of powerful virtue; possession of powerful aspiration; a solid mind which does not abandon Bodhichitta due to various circumstances; and not being satisfied with limited good qualities. "Countless" does not mean incalculable. Countless means that number which is reached by counting one, ten, hundred, thousand, and so forth, up to sixty numerical places. This is stated in the Abhidharma Kosa and its commentary. When our Lord Teacher was born as a prince known as "Performer of Diligence," the son of King Ahyu Vijaya, in the palace known as Completely Victorious Banner, the Tathagata Great Luminous Heap appeared in the

35

Great Deeds of the Buddha world. At that time, the prince venerated the Tathagata and accumulated the root of virtue. From this point, he accumulated merit for one countless eon, by which he attained the first bumi stage of realization. When our Lord Teacher was born as the leading merchant "Noble Wisdom," in a city on the Golden Jambu River ruled by King Luminous Beauty, the Tathagata Jewel Lamp appeared in the world. Noble Wisdom venerated the Tathagata and received instruction. From this point, for one countless eon he accumulated the heaps, by which he attained the seventh bumi. When our Lord Teacher was born a Brahman known as Cloud Youth, the Tathagata Dipamkara appeared in the world. He purchased five utpala flowers and offered them to the Tathagata. Then he spread the skin of a krishna sari deer, and put his own golden colored hair upon it as a cushion. The Buddha placed his feet upon this, and prophesied: “In the future, you will be known as Tathagata Shakyamuni.” With this prophesy, our Lord Teacher reached the eighth bumi because it is said: Offered five utpala flowers to the Buddha Dipamkara, Spread my queue of hair as a cushion,  And attained the patience of unborn phenomena. I was prophesied to become the King of the Shakyas. From this point, for one countless eon, our Lord Teacher took many births for the benefit of beings, such as Indra Noble Eyes, and so forth. Finally, in this eon, when beings' life span was twenty thousand years, the Buddha Kashapa appeared in the world, during which time our Lord Teacher was born as Young Brahman

36

 A Commentary Guru. At this point, he completed the stage of a tenth bumi Bodhisattva.  According to the Hinayana tradition, during the first countless eon, he venerated seventy-five thousand Buddhas. During the second countless eon, he venerated seventy-six thousand. During the third countless eon, he venerated seventy-seven thousand. However, in the Mahayana tradition, he met countless millions of Buddhas, venerated them, and received instruction from them, Because it is said in the Moonlight Sutra: Myriad millions of Buddhas More, as many as the sands of the Ganges,  All reside upon this Vulture Peak.  All these Lords of Humans were venerated by me.  How the Buddha Shakyamuni Manifested Full and  Perfect Enlightenment This section includes two topics: how the Buddha Shakyamuni attained perfect enlightenment; and specific descriptions of his holy activities.  How the Buddha Attained Perfect Enlightenment  According to the Shravaka tradition, during the three countless eons of accumulation of the heaps, finally only one hundred more eons were left to be accumulated. The cause of the acquisition of the perfect marks first occurred when our Lord Teacher was the Bodhisattva Certain Abiding. During this time, the Buddha Diligent Praise of Victorious Fortune shortened nine of the one hundred remaining eons of the accumulation of the heaps, such that only ninety-one still remained.  After that, at the end of ninety-one eons, during the time of the Buddha Kashapa, our Lord Teacher was born as Young Brahman Guru. After he departed, he was born

37

Great Deeds of the Buddha as Noble White Crown, the son of gods in Dushita heaven. Finally, he was born in the body of Prince Siddhartha. The Shravakas believe that he was still a Bodhisattva on the path of accumulation, and that until he subjugated the maras, he possessed all the fetters. Then they believe that all the paths, from the heat of the path of application up to realization of the exhaustion of birthlessness, were instantaneously traversed while seated in the vajra asana in Bodhigaya, because the  Abhidharma states: Buddhas and rhinoceroses, up to enlightenment  Accomplish all in one session of samadhi.  According to the Mahayana tradition, at the end of the tenth bumi Bodhisattva stage, through vajra-like absorption, our Lord Teacher manifested the Sambogakaya which possesses the five certainties. Upon this base, he achieved the Dharmakaya which is the ultimate realization of non duality, or the inseparability of subject and object, away from all extremes. The subject is the primordial wisdom of knowing exactly, and knowing everything. The object is double purity: the natural purity of the realm of reality, and removal of temporary obscurations. At the same time, he manifested the Nirmanakaya in countless realms, such as the Unweariable Realm. In this way, the Buddha manifested perfect enlightenment. The Lankarshegpa Sutra states:  Abandoning the pure god realms, In the pleasant realm known as Below Nothing, The perfect Buddha was enlightened. The emanation Buddha was enlightened here.

38

 A Commentary Concerning the time, inconceivable eons ago our Lord Teacher was already enlightened as a Buddha known as Crown Lord. He again demonstrated his enlightenment and the other activities. He states this in the Sutra of the Meeting of Father and Son: Having generated compassion for all sentient beings, To completely mature sentient beings, The great hero emanated Eighty million Jinas,  Already manifested as a Buddha.  Yet discarded an attitude of satisfaction. From the White Lotus Sutra: Inconceivable thousands of millions of eons ago, Never limited, beyond number, I attained this supreme enlightenment. I also preached the Dharma continuously. These quotations demonstrate this. Specific Descriptions of the Buddha's Holy  Activities Generally, the holy activities of the Excellent Teacher, Lord of Munis, are beyond conception, however, for the benefit of those disciples who rejoice in enumeration, the principle holy activities are described in the Kalachakra Tantra as six. The Vajra Panjari Tantra describes eight, and other sources have various numbers. Here, according to the Bodhisattva Maitreya's description in the Uttara Tantra: The deeds of taking birth: Transference from Dushita heaven,

39

Great Deeds of the Buddha Entering the mother's womb, taking birth, Brilliantly learning multiple fields, Pleasantly enjoying a queen and retinue, Renunciation, performance of austerity,  Approaching the essence of enlightenment, Conquering the forces of mara, Manifesting supreme enlightenment, Turning the wheel of Dharma, and Passing beyond sorrow Will demonstrate abiding in the impure realms,  As long as samsara exists. Explained according to this quotation, there are twelve great deeds. The First Deed of Transference from Dushita  Heaven The Bodhisattva Noble White Crown, the son of gods, emanated in Dushita heaven where he taught the Dharma upon lion thrones in heavenly palaces to retinues of numberless gods. When the time arrived to tame sentient beings in Jambudivipa, our Lord Teacher's previous aspirations and the blessing of the Buddhas of the ten directions brought to his mind these verses in the sound of musical instruments: Possessor of vast merit, myriad heaps, awareness, Realization, limitless intelligence, luminous wisdom, Unsurpassed power, and vast skill, Remember the prophesy of Dipamkara. He was requested with these and other verses.  At that time, a son of the gods emanated as a Brahman vedic sage, and taught the Vedas to the people of Jambudivipa, saying: "Anyone who possesses thus and

40

 A Commentary such perfect major and minor marks will become either a universal emperor or a perfectly enlightened Buddha." The sage taught the people to recite thus. Also, a voice was heard saying: "Twelve years from now, the Bodhisattva will enter the womb." When the Pratyeka Buddhas heard these words, five hundred who were dwelling in the area of Varanasi flew into the sky, entered the fire element, cremated their own bodies, and their relics fell to the ground at a place which became known as Sages' Descent. When the Buddha intended to descend to Jambudivipa, he had five visions: of place, time, clan, caste, and mother. When these five visions occurred, he taught the gods the Dharma which can purify transference during death. He placed his crown on the head of Maitreya Bodhisattva, saying: "Friends, Maitreya Bodhisattva will teach the Dharma to you. As for me, I will go to Jambudivipa for the benefit of beings there." Hearing this, the gods were not happy, saying: “Holy teacher, if you do not dwell here, Dushita heaven will lose its beauty. Jambudivipa is deluded by eighteen heretical teachers, Osung Zoji and the rest. It is not a proper place for a Bodhisattva to dwell." When they supplicated thus, the Bodhisattva replied: "Just as one lion can overpower other animals, and a single sun can outshine the other planets and dispel darkness, I will overpower all others." He replied with these and other words, intending to depart. Thinking about the appropriate form in which to enter the womb, Noble Dignity, a son of the gods remarked: "According to the Brahman Vedas, you should embark in the form of an elephant." When he embarked, eight hundred thousand sons and daughters of the gods of the desire realms gathered, and

41

Great Deeds of the Buddha the Bodhisattva manifested the transference from Dushita Heaven. Inconceivable clouds of music and other things were offered. The Second Deed of Entering the Mother's Womb On the fifteenth day of the month of Vesak, during the ascent of the victory constellation, at midnight the Bodhisattva entered the womb of Mayadevi through her right side, while she was performing poshada practice. He manifested the form of a noble elephant calf, the color of silver, snow, or water lilies. Meanwhile, eight auspicious preliminary signs occurred in the palace of King Shuddodana. At that time, the mother dreamed: Completely covered by a golden net, crowned with red, Clearly displaying six white tusks, The color of conch shells, snow, or silver, I see an excellent elephant entering my body. Such an entrance, my body and mind Have never seen, heard, or experienced before. It comforts me with extreme bliss, Like resting in the state of samadhi. The mother's womb was blessed as a jeweled sanctum in which the Bodhisattva dwelt. As he grew, gods from the Realm of the Thirty-Three and other heavenly abodes, as well as thirty-six million men and gods matured. The Bodhisattva dwelt thus for ten months enjoying uncontaminated bliss. The Third Deed of Taking Birth When ten months were completed, thirty-two auspicious signs, such as the blooming of buds, occurred. King

42

 A Commentary Shuddodana had Lumbini Garden beautified as pleasantly as a heavenly realm.  Arriving there, the mother stood grasping the branch of a plaksa tree, and the Bodhisattva emerged from the right side of her body, unstained by birth from a womb. He shone brilliantly, adorned with raiments and ornaments. Gods strewed flowers, Brahma and Indra received him in a kashika cloth, and Nanda and Upananda offered bathing water from the sky. The Bodhisattva spoke: "Koushika, let me set forth." He walked seven steps to the east and the other five directions, while proclaiming that he would become peerless among the three worlds of existence. Where ever he stepped, a lotus arose. Meanwhile, other auspicious signs appeared, light pervaded every direction, the earth quaked, and the sound of celestial music was heard in the sky. Princes were born to the four kings of the four directions; five hundred sons of noble family were born; eight hundred daughters, including Yasodhara, were born; five hundred servants including Chandaka were born; twenty thousand foals including Kanthaka, were born; and ten thousand calves were born. In the center of the realm, the Bodhi tree sprouted, five hundred treasure chests arose from the soil, and five hundred gardens appeared. Because all these auspicious signs occurred, King Shuddodana named his son "Siddhartha," which means "Accomplishment of All Goals." The father showed his son to a prophet, who said: "If he remains in the palace, he will become a universal emperor. If he leaves the palace, he will become a perfectly enlightened Buddha." Later, when the family went to worship the god of the Shakya clan, known as Yaksha Increase of the Shakyas, the god prostrated to the feet of the young Bodhisattva. Because of this, the Bodhisattva was called "God of

43

Great Deeds of the Buddha Gods." He sat among the wild Shakya clan like a sage, therefore he was called "Shakyamuni," or Sage of the Shakyas. Seven days after his birth, the Bodhisattva's mother departed this earth to take birth in the Realm of the Thirty Three. The youth was given to Maha Prajnapati Gautami, with thirty two nurses to care for him. The great miraculous signs of the birth of the Bodhisattva caused Asita, who lived on Mount Himavat, to apprehend the Bodhisattva through his five clairvoyances. To see the Bodhisattva, he flew from the mountain to Kapilavastu. Approaching the city, his miraculous ability to fly declined, and he walked to the palace. After meeting the prince, he told King Shuddodana: "Because he possesses the stainless thirtytwo major marks, you should be aware that two but not three circumstances may occur. He will become either a universal emperor, or the most perfectly enlightened being in the world. Among these two, it appears that he will not appreciate desire objects, and so he will certainly become an enlightened Buddha." Thus he prophesied. The Fourth Deed of Brilliantly Learning Multiple Fields When the youth grew somewhat, he was sent to  Visvamitra, the teacher of children, together with ten thousand other Shakya children. There, the Bodhisattva named sixty-four different Brahman scripts, and asked: "O teacher, which of these shall I learn?" The teacher was astonished and said: How wonderful is this pure being, Learned in all the Shastras, In the world, following the customs of the world,

44

 A Commentary Nonetheless, he comes to the schoolroom. He has the knowledge of names of scripts Which I do not even know, He knows them thoroughly, Nonetheless, he comes to the schoolroom. When studies actually began, when the syllable A was pronounced, the sound came out ANITYAH SARVASAMSKARAH, "all aggregates are impermanent." When the syllable AA was pronounced, the sound came out AATMAPARAHITA, "all phenomena are without self." In addition to these, other sounds appeared when the other syllables were pronounced. By the power of the Bodhisattva, the ten thousand Shakya children learned countless doors of Dharma, and matured into unsurpassable enlightenment.  Also, the Bodhisattva showed his knowledge of the scripts of the gods, nagas, gandharvas, and others, and his comprehensive learning. The Bodhisattva was sent to learn mathematics from the great mathematician Shakya Arjuna. From him, he studied mathematics, archery, swimming, wrestling, and other various fields of worldly knowledge, and demonstrated his complete mastery of all of them. A sutra says:  All the shastras that exist in this human world: Enumeration, scripts, mathematics, types of elements, Limitless disciplines, and arts; Countless eons ago, he mastered these fields.  Yet, he merely followed the customs of worldly beings.

45

Great Deeds of the Buddha He matured the minds of countless children to the excellent vehicle. Thus he demonstrated his learning. The Bodhisattva visited a garden where he sat in meditation under a jambu tree, contemplating the four samadhis. The tree's shadow did not move beyond the Bodhisattva's body. At that time, five heretic rishis flew through the sky, and when they approached the sky above the Bodhisattva, they were no longer able to fly.  Amazed, they descended and spoke praises of the Bodhisattva, circumambulating him. Then they departed. The Fifth Deed of Pleasantly Enjoying a Queen and  Retinue The senior Shakyas gathered to discuss a proposal which they presented to King Shuddodana. In order that the lineage of the universal emperor not be broken, the prince should be encouraged to marry. The father replied: "We should ask the prince himself." The king and the senior Shakyas put their request to the prince. The Bodhisattva described the faults of desire and did not grant their request. They requested again and again, and finally, in order to manifest skillful action; in order to completely mature sentient beings; in order to demonstrate the removal of unwholesomeness; and in order to follow the example of the previous Bodhisattvas the Bodhisattva replied: Lotuses develop in the midst of a murky swamp. Kings are venerated in the midst of crowds of people. When Bodhisattvas gather an excellent retinue, They place hundreds of millions of beings in immortality.

46

 A Commentary

With these words, he granted their request. He wrote a letter describing thirty-two qualities suitable for his wife, and offered it to the king. The king summoned his brahmin ministers and told them to search for such a maiden. The brahmins found Yasodhara, daughter of the Shakya Dandapani, who possessed all of these good qualities. The king sent a messenger to request Dandapani's daughter in marriage. Shakya Dandapani replied: "In order to send a daughter from my clan, the groom must have excellent skill in archery and wrestling. Because your prince lacks these skills, how can I give my daughter? When this was reported to the Bodhisattva, he agreed to compete with anyone. King Shuddodana sounded a bell all over the city, announcing a contest of skills in Kapilavastu, and made preparations.  At the contest, the first challenger was Devadatta. Near the entrance to the competition area, some people of Vaishali brought an elephant to offer to the Bodhisattva. Devadatta killed the elephant with a single blow of his palm. Sundarananda grasped the elephant by the tail and threw it outside the gates. The Bodhisattva approached, lifted up the corpse of the elephant with his toe, and heaved it outside the seven walls which encircled the city, a distance of one krosha. Where the body of the elephant struck the ground, a great hole was made, which became known as Ditch of the Elephant. Nanda and Ananda came forward to compete in wrestling. The mere touch of the Bodhisattva's hand made them fall to the ground. Next, Devadatta came forward. The Bodhisattva lifted him with his right hand, twirled him in the air three times, and again placed him on the ground.

47

Great Deeds of the Buddha For the archery competition, Ananda set an iron drum as a target at a distance of two kroshas, Devadatta at four kroshas, and Sundarananda at six kroshas. Each of their arrows hit their target, but could go no further. The young Bodhisattva set an iron drum as a target at a distance of ten kroshas, put the trunks of seven tala trees behind it, and put an iron statue of a boar behind them. The Bodhisattva's arrow pierced all of these, as well as the ground behind them. The hole in the ground which the arrow made became known as Arrow Well. The contest also included tests of literature, mathematics, jumping, and swimming, and the young Bodhisattva was the incomparable victor in every contest. Countless gods and men were completely satisfied by the amazing demonstrations, and the sound of their cheering filled the land. Shakya Dandapani offered his daughter Yasodhara in marriage. To follow the custom of worldly beings, the Bodhisattva enjoyed life with Yasodhara and her retinue of 84,000 young women. Dwelling in the midst of them, he enjoyed their entertainments, and performed the benefit of beings. The Sixth Deed of Renouncing His Kingdom Thus the Bodhisattva dwelt in the palace. When he reached the age of twenty-nine, through the blessings of the Buddhas of the ten directions, musical instruments sounded in the sky, and these words were heard: Seeing beings filled with hundreds of sufferings, Resolving to be a protector and place of refuge for beings, Become their excellent benefactor and savior. Previously, you made such aspirations.

48

 A Commentary  Virtuous Courage, recall your previous aspirations To benefit beings, and your virtuous conduct. Now is the time to recall your commitment, Renounce the world now and become a supreme rishi. These and other words were heard in the music. With this, the Bodhisattva's mind focused solely on renunciation. The Bodhisattva rode through the eastern gate in his chariot to see the sights in the gardens outside the palace.  A god from the pure god realm emanated as an extremely aged and tottering old man, who was suffering extremely. The Bodhisattva saw this. Likewise, at the southern gate, he saw a person suffering from illness. At the western gate, he saw a corpse being carried away, while the relatives mourned and cried. At the northern gate, he saw a well-tamed, peaceful monk, who was completely controlled. Seeing each of these sights one by one, the Bodhisattva was reminded of the disadvantages and faults of remaining in the household life, and the benefit and good qualities of liberation. He turned his chariot and rode back to the palace. King Shuddodana heard that these signs of renunciation had arisen, and advised the queen and the rest of his retinue that they should be diligent and exert all efforts that the Bodhisattva not become a renunciate. The Bodhisattva thought: "Without receiving my father's permission, it is not appropriate to renounce the world.” With this in mind, he went to his father one evening and requested permission. His father refused three times, but could not dissuade the Bodhisattva. Finally, the father said: "May you completely accomplish your wish." Saying thus, he granted permission.

49

Great Deeds of the Buddha The next morning, the news spread to the Shakyas, and all of them agreed to prevent him from escaping. The city of Kapilavastu had a gate in each of the four directions. Five hundred guards were stationed at each gate which were fitted with special doors that could be heard at a distance of one krosha, and with bars that tightly closed them. At each gate, 500 Shakya youths, 500 chariots, and 500 soldiers were stationed. Also, at every crossroads and intersection, senior warriors were stationed as guards both day and night.  At that time, a thousand million sons of the gods came to assist the Bodhisattva. They caused all of the women and guards to fall deeply asleep, the gates to open auspiciously, and the horses and elephants to fall silent. The queen and her retinue were transformed into an undesirable appearance.  At midnight, the Bodhisattva climbed to the roof of the palace and prostrated to the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas of the ten directions. Indra, four guardian kings, and the sons of the gods known as Sun and Moon prostrated to the Bodhisattva. Perceiving that the victory constellation had arisen, the Bodhisattva advised his attendant Chandaka to bring the excellent horse Kanthaka, decorated with ornaments. The Bodhisattva mounted the horse, and the four guardian kings lifted it into the sky while Brahma and Indra led the way. Millions of sons of gods preceded them, and in this way, he departed the palace.  At a distance of six yojinas, dawn arose, and the Bodhisattva alighted. He gave his horse and ornaments to Chandaka. Before the Cudapratigrahana stupa, he cut his hair with his sword, which was the color of a blue utpala flower. The gods of the Realm of Thirty Three carried the Bodhisattva's holy hair to their land to become an object of veneration.

50

 A Commentary  A son of the gods of the pure realms emanated in the form of a hunter. He offered saffron-colored robes suitable to a renunciate monk, and the Bodhisattva accepted them. In this way, he renounced the world, and undertook full ordination. The Seventh Deed of Performing Six Years of  Austerity To demonstrate to his followers that tremendous hardship must be performed in order to achieve excellent enlightenment, first the Bodhisattva approached  Vaishali, where Arada Kalama, the son of Datrmadandika lived. Arada taught the meditative absorption of the ayatana of nothingness. After that, in Rajagrha, he met Rudraka, son of Rama, who taught the meditative absorption of the ayatana of the tip of existence. After learning these absorptions, he realized that they were not methods which could produce liberation from samsara. Then the Bodhisattva traveled to Uruvilva. Near the village, he saw the flat banks of the Nairanjana river, surrounded by beautiful scenery. In order to refute the idea in the minds of the beings of Jambudivipa that negativity can be purified by wrong austerity and mistaken behavior, for six years the Bodhisattva performed the meditative absorption of pervading all space. During his austerity, some cow herders poked cotton into his ears and pulled it out through his nose, and maras tried to trouble him, but nothing could disturb his meditation. Five attendants came to serve him, but he accepted only one sesame seed, one grain of rice, and a  juniper berry. The Bodhisattva wore a namjar upper robe made of pieces of cloth found in the cemetery and sewn together.

51

Great Deeds of the Buddha His colored upper and lower robes were offered by  Vimalapraba, a son of the gods. One morning the Bodhisattva walked to the village. There, at the advice of the gods, Sujata, the daughter of a farmer, collected milk from a thousand cows, concentrated it seven times, mixed it with fresh rice cooked in a newly made pot, and offered it to the Bodhisattva. The Bodhisattva accepted her offering, and ate well. He threw the golden bowl into the river, where it was taken by Sagara, king of the nagas. The god Indra begged the golden bowl and took it away to the Realm of the Thirty Three. The five attendants, feeling disrespect, departed. The nutritious food restored the Bodhisattva's dignity, increased his radiance, and the signs of a great being such as the thirty-two major and eighty minor marks clearly appeared. Also, a golden halo one arm span in width appeared around his body. The Eighth Deed of Approaching the Essence of Enlightenment When the Bodhisattva approached the Bodhi Tree to subjugate mara, through the power of the gods, a gentle wind and rain cleansed the path. The mountains, trees, plants, and even newborn babies bowed their heads in that direction. Great Brahma, lord of the three worlds of existence, advised his retinue to arrange offerings. When the rays of light from the Bodhisattva's body touched them, every sentient being purified their negative emotions and suffering, and all faults of the container were cleansed. On the right side of the road, the grass seller Svastika was cutting kusa grass. The Bodhisattva spoke to him: Svastika! Quickly give me kusa grass.

52

 A Commentary Today that grass will be of great benefit to me. By subjugating Mara and his hosts, I will reach the peace of excellent enlightenment. Svastika offered the Bodhisattva very soft, green, kusa grass. The Bodhisattva circumambulated the Bodhi Tree seven times, and placed the grass as a cushion, with the tips inward. He sat in full meditation posture, facing the east, made his body very straight, and mindfully contemplated, making this commitment: Here on this cushion, my body may shrivel, Skin, bones, and flesh may dissolve, Until reaching enlightenment, so difficult to attain in many eons, My body will not move from this cushion. Gods surrounded the Bodhisattva in each of the ten directions to protect him. From between the eyebrows of the Bodhisattva, inconceivable rays of light emanated, and illuminated immeasurable realms. Countless Bodhisattvas gathered, making offerings and praising him. The Ninth Deed of Conquering the Forces of Mara Rays of light known as Complete Conquering of Mara and  All His Hosts emanated from between the Bodhisattva's eyebrows. This shook the realm of the maras, overpowered their dignity and radiance, and they became enfeebled. These verses were heard: The completely pure being who has performed actions for many eons,

53

Great Deeds of the Buddha Son of Shuddodana, who completely abandoned the kingdom, To benefit beings produced the desire to manifest immortality. To make great effort, today he nears the Bodhi Tree. Thirty-two inauspicious dreams occurred to the leader of mara. Displeased, he summoned his retinue. In order to subjugate the Bodhisattva, he gathered a huge army of fearsome maras, yakshas, kumbhandas, mahoragas, rakshas, pretas, pisacas, and skeletons. There were also ferocious maras who made one's hair stand on end; maras with heads, hands, and legs numbering from one to a thousand bearing various weapons in their hands; other maras with the heads of tigers, snakes, boars, elephants, horses, donkeys, camels, monkeys, lions, and bears; and others with the heads of various other animals. Other maras had hair which stuck straight up and flames came from their mouths and eyes. Mara's army completely encircled the Bodhisattva for eighty yojinas, and threw a storm of weapons at him. All of the weapons turned to a shower of flowers, so there was nothing they could do. Mara spoke to the Bodhisattva: "Can you reach liberation through that much merit?" The Bodhisattva replied: Mara Papiyan, if through a single offering, you became head of the empire of desire, I have unceasingly made many millions of offerings. Mara replied: “You were the witness to my offering, but you have no witness.” The Bodhisattva touched the ground with his right hand and spoke:

54

 A Commentary

This earth is the base for every being, Equally for the animate and inanimate, whether near or far, This is my witness that I do not lie. This earth shall be my witness to you.  As soon as the Bodhisattva uttered these words, the earth trembled with six quakes. From a fissure appeared Sthavara, goddess of the earth. The upper half of her body was adorned with ornaments. She said: Great Being, it is just so. It is indeed as you have declared. This is true by me.  Yet you, Bhagwan are the witness of all beings and gods. Thus she spoke and disappeared. Mara Papiyan felt extremely disappointed and mortified. Mara sent his daughters, who skillfully demonstrated thirty-two types of cunning and deception, but could not wave even the tip of one of the Bodhisattva's hairs. Finally, they paid homage to the Bodhisattva and left.  Again, the forces gathered and threw a multitude of weapons, but the outcome was the same as before. The demons became completely confused and lost their way. Scattered, they took a week to find each other. During this time, countless demons turned their minds toward enlightenment. The Tenth Deed of Manifesting Supreme Enlightenment In the early part of the night, the Bodhisattva contemplated the four samadhi. At midnight, he

55

Great Deeds of the Buddha developed all clairvoyances. During the later part of the night, near dawn, when the city's drum was about to sound, the Bodhisattva actualized the twelve links of interdependent origination and the Four Noble Truths. The moment after that, through his uncontaminated primordial wisdom, he achieved perfect enlightenment, Buddhahood, the state of the Great Kingdom of Dharma. The Buddha rose to a height of seven tala trees and declared: The chain is broken, the emotions stilled. The stream of impurities is dry and runs no more.  As the chain is destroyed, suffering is ended. The gods showered flowers to the height of one’s knees and venerated him. Great luminous light pervaded all the worlds of existence. The bodies and minds of all beings touched by that light were pervaded by bliss, and the earth quaked with six motions. The Buddhas of the ten directions praised him: Just as we became Buddhas, In the same way, you have become a Buddha. Like the essence of one butter, Which is the same as the essence of other butter. The Bodhisattva proclaimed: Merit results in happiness and dispels suffering. Possessing merit, humans accomplish their wishes, Conquer demons, actualize the enlightenment of Buddhahood, Pass beyond sorrow, and attain the stage of calm.

56

 A Commentary Thus he spoke. The sons and daughters of the gods of the desire realm, even the demons, and all beings praised him with a multitude of verses. A shower of flowers and other inconceivable things were offered from the ten directions. The Eleventh Deed of Turning the Wheel of Dharma In this way, the Buddha attained complete and perfect enlightenment, Buddhahood. During the first week, he did not move from meditation posture, and his gaze remained fixed on the Bodhi Tree. During the second week, he traveled long distances throughout the threethousand worlds of existence. During the third week, again he gazed unblinkingly at the Bodhi Tree. During the fourth week, he traveled short distances between the eastern and western oceans. Mara requested the Buddha to pass into nirvana, but the Buddha did not grant Mara's wish, stating that he would not enter nirvana until he had accomplished the benefit of beings. During the fifth week, the Buddha resided with the King of Nagas, Mucilinda. During the sixth week, the Buddha stayed beneath a nyagrodha tree. During the seventh week, the Buddha stayed beneath the tree of the cause of liberation.  At that time, two merchants, Trapusa and Bhallika collected honey, sugar crystals, and beverages and offered them to the Buddha. The Buddha reflected upon what type of container the previous Buddhas had used to take their food. The four guardian kings brought a stone alms bowl. The Buddha blessed it and accepted food in the bowl. Again the two merchants collected milk from a thousand cows, concentrated it into cream, put it in a precious container, and offered it. The Buddha accepted the milk, but left the container where it lay. Later, Brahma, the king of the gods, took the container as an

57

Great Deeds of the Buddha object of veneration. The Buddha prophesied that the two merchants would become Buddhas known as Madhusambhava, Source of Honey. The Buddha manifested the appearance of disappointment and spoke: Deep, peaceful, away from all extremes, clearly luminous, and uncompounded; I have found the nectar-like Dharma Which cannot be understood by anyone to whom it is shown, So I should remain alone and silent in the forest.  Although through his compassion, he did not abandon beings blinded by ignorance, in order to show that the wheel of Dharma is not turned without request, he proclaimed: Possessing limitless compassion for all worldly beings, I will not teach if requested by another. These beings are devoted to Brahma. If he requests, I will turn the wheel of Dharma. Thus he spoke. Light rays issued from between the Bodhisattva's eyebrows, and illuminated all the worlds of existence. Realizing this, Brahma with his crown of hair descended with a retinue of sixty-eight hundred thousand and prostrated to the feet of the Tathagata. Folding his hands, he supplicated: The wealth of noble ones treasured by sentient beings Is able to give breath to millions of living beings.

58

 A Commentary Not to teach for their benefit and to remain silent Is not appropriate for the central pillar of beings. Brahma supplicated with these and many other verses.  Again Brahma reappeared with Indra and emphatically supplicated the Buddha. Again, Brahma offered the Buddha a golden wheel with a thousand spokes and supplicated him. Thus Brahma with the crown of hair requested thrice. Finally, the Buddha accepted his request to turn the wheel of Dharma for the sake of uncertain beings. The Buddha intended to first teach the Dharma to beings with only a little of the three poisons, who were easy to tame. But Rudraka had passed away seven days ago, and Arada Kalama had passed away three days ago. The Buddha saw that his five attendants would be suitable to receive the Dharma. Therefore, he set out for Kasika. Seeing him from afar, the five attendants agreed: "The sage Gautama, the lax one, the one who eats a lot, whose abstinence has declined, is approaching. When he arrives, we should not stand, we should not prostrate. If he sits, we will just give him one of our extra cushions." However, Kaundinya did not mentally approve of this. When the Tathagata came near, their agreement naturally dissolved. They stood up, and some welcomed him, others prepared cushions, others brought water to wash his feet, and thus they requested him to be seated. The Tathagata spoke pleasantly and delighted the five disciples. They spoke to him asking: "Ayusmat, your sense organs are clear, and your complexion is completely pure. Have you actualized superior primordial wisdom?" The Buddha replied: "Monks, do not address the Tathagata as Ayusmat, as it will cause you to experience unhappiness for a long time. I have found the elixir of

59

Great Deeds of the Buddha immortality and attained Buddhahood. I am an omniscient teacher. Didn't you make such and such an agreement when I approached? Monks, come forward. I will teach you the Dharma. Listen to it, and practice assiduously." He spoke these and other words. The minute the Tathagata uttered them, all the signs that the disciples were heretics disappeared, and their appearance became as monks who had been ordained for hundreds of years. They confessed their fault, and developed respect. The Buddha reflected upon the location at which the previous Buddhas turned the wheel of Dharma. A thousand precious thrones appeared in Varanasi.  Arriving there, the Buddha circumambulated the three previous thrones, and sat upon the fourth in full meditation posture. The five disciples prostrated to the Buddha's feet and sat in front of him. Limitless rays of light emanated from the Bhagwan Buddha's body and illuminated all the worlds of existence in the ten directions. With countless Bodhisattvas, Brahma, Indra, and the four direction guardians at their head, innumerable holy beings from the ten directions gathered. All circumambulated and prostrated to the Buddha, making inconceivable offerings. They requested him to turn the wheel of Dharma. The Bhagwan Buddha spoke first to the five attendants: "Monks, enter neither of the two extremes, neither the extreme of desire in which merit declines, nor the extreme of fatigue and exhaustion. Therefore, abandon these two extremes and abide in the middle path. The Tathagata will teach this Dharma. This Dharma is the following: the Eightfold Noble Path. Monks, also these are the Four Noble Truths. If one asks what they are, they are: suffering, source of arising, cessation, and path."

60

 A Commentary In this way, the first time, the Buddha taught the nature of the Four Noble Truths. Immediately, Ajnanta Kaundinya attained the path of seeing.  Again the Buddha spoke: "Monks, thoroughly understand suffering, abandon the source of arising, actualize cessation of suffering, and have one's mind rely upon the path, by which suffering ceases." In this way, the second time, the Buddha taught the functions of the Four Noble Truths. Immediately Kaundinya attained Arhathood, and the four others, Bhaddiya, Vappa, Mahanama, and Assaji attained the path of seeing. The third time, the Buddha spoke: "Monks, suffering was completely understood, the source of arising was abandoned, cessation was actualized, and one's mental continuum relied upon the path." In this way, the third time, the Buddha taught the completion of the Four Noble Truths. The other four disciples achieved Arhathood. Thus the Buddha uttered the Four Noble Truths three times and turned twelve aspects of the wheel of Dharma. Through this, the five attendants achieved Arhathood, and eighty thousand gods and countless others achieved the path of seeing. The sons of wealthy merchants in Varanasi known as  Yasa, Punnaji, Vimala, Gavampati, and Subahu became his five close disciples, were ordained and achieved  Arhathood. Then fifty sons of the leaders of the town were ordained and they achieved Arhathood. Through this, there came to be sixty Arhats. Uruvela Kassapa, who was 120 years old with 500 attendants, and his brothers known as Nadi Kassapa and Gaya Kassapa, who each had 250 attendants were all ordained by the Buddha, who said to them: "Come forward." They all achieved Arhathood, and then the number of Arhats in the world exceeded one thousand.

61

Great Deeds of the Buddha In this way, the place of the first Turning of the Wheel of Dharma was the area of Varanasi, mainly for the five disciples and others. The primary subject of the teachings was the Four Noble Truths, and the duration was six or seven years. The place of the second Turning of the Wheel of Dharma was the area of Vulture Peak, mainly for Mahayana disciples. The primary subject of the teachings was signlessness, and the duration of the teachings was thirty years. The place of the third Turning of the Wheel of the Dharma was in Vaishali, for uncertain disciples. The primary subject of the teachings was selected excellent topics, and the duration was seven years. In this way, countless beings were liberated. The Twelfth Deed of Manifesting Passing Beyond Sorrow The Noble Golden Rays Sutra states: The Buddha does not enter nirvana,  Also, the Dharma never disappears. But to completely mature sentient beings, Entry into parinirvana is demonstrated. Thus it says. In reality, inconceivable eons ago, the Bhagwan Buddha already attained the stage of complete victory over the four maras, and therefore had no sorrow to pass beyond. However, in order to avert beings' clinging to the concept of permanence, and to overcome their laziness, and due to the wishes of some inferior beings that the Buddha no longer appear before their eyes, the Buddha merely enacted the words of passing beyond sorrow.

62

 A Commentary When the Buddha reached the age of 80, when he was close to entering nirvana, in order to remind Ananda of the need to request that he not enter nirvana, the Buddha said: "Those who have meditated long on the Four Miracle Legs, can remain for an eon or longer if they desire." These and other words he thrice stated. However, obscured by Mara, Ananda heard nothing. Secretly, Mara Papiyan requested the Buddha to enter nirvana, and the Buddha accepted his request. Then, the upasika Cunda, son of a smith, offered food to the Buddha, and requested him not to enter nirvana. The Buddha granted his request and promised to remain for three more months. Thus, the Buddha renounced the remainder of his life, yet blessed beings by remaining alive. At that time, the earth shook, stars fell, and many other signs occurred. Through this, Ananda realized that the Bhagwan Buddha had renounced the remainder of his life. Again and again, he requested the Buddha to remain, but the Buddha did not grant his request. Gradually, teaching the Dharma, and liberating countless disciples, the Buddha traveled toward Kushinagar, the land of the Malas. Nearing there, between twin sala trees, the Malas prepared a throne for him. Upon that, the Buddha reclined upon his right side, and stretched his legs straight, with the left leg upon the right, intending to pass beyond sorrow. He continued to teach the Dharma to the Malas. The last disciples of his physical form were the king of gandarvas, Sunanda, and the wanderer Subaddha. They approached the Buddha and received Dharma teaching, and his blessings. Seeing the truth, they achieved  Arhathood. Being unable to bear seeing the Buddha enter nirvana, they passed away before the Buddha. The Bhagwan Buddha taught his four types of disciples a summary of the precepts, and cut their doubts

63

Great Deeds of the Buddha concerning the Three Jewels and the Four Noble Truths. On the fifteenth of the Vesak month, he demonstrated the passing beyond sorrow. Then for one week, Ananda made preparations and arrangements for the cremation of the holy body. The great Shravaka Kaundinya, Kulji, Tenth Power Kasshapa, and Maha Kasshapa gathered and wrapped his holy body with five hundred cloths, placed it inside an iron vessel filled with butter, and covered it. With veneration and respect, they placed this upon a pile of scented wood. The fire naturally blazed up without being lit, and burned continuously for seven days. After that, the fire was extinguished by water mixed with milk, and the vessel was opened. The vessel was completely filled with relics like sesame seeds. These were divided into eight parts and given to the kings who had gathered from the various directions, with the advice that they build stupas to contain them in their individual lands. Also, two stupas were built to contain the vessel and the ashes from the fire, and four were built to contain the four eyeteeth. The holy deeds of the excellent lion of the Shakyas,  Are known only by the primordial wisdom of the Buddhas. Nevertheless, for those who intend to gain merit, I summarize this according to the words of the holy teachers. Birth, enlightenment, teaching, and parinirvana, Should be proclaimed in the future to the devoted. Thus the excellent Buddha spoke before entering nirvana. Devotedly venerating these words, this was written to the best of my ability.

64

 A Commentary

May the virtue arising from this, like the cool light of the autumn moon, Dispel the suffering of the mental fever and darkness of all beings. May devotion and the benevolent thought of the Buddha and his doctrine,  And the kuna flower grove of liberation be developed. This text, Key to the Door of Liberation, which is a brief explanation focusing primarily on the twelve wonderful, excellent holy deeds of our Lord Buddha Shakyamuni, is based on the teachings received from my greatly kind teacher Dosep Thupten Gyaltsen, and many other holy teachers. Written by Kunga Wangchuk, disciple of holy teachers and renunciate of mundane activities, so as to be easy for small minded beginners like myself to understand. It was written in 1991, in the Tibetan year 2117, seventeenth rabjong, iron sheep year, at the Dzongsar Institute in Bir, and abbreviated from texts written by earlier scholars. Translated into English and edited by Khenpo Kalsang Gyaltsen and Chodrung-ma Kunga Chodron in 1995 at Sakya Phuntsok Ling in Washington DC. By the merit of this, may all beings reach the stage of Buddhahood.

65