The Chapter on Medicines
Chapter Eleven

At that time, the ṛṣi Kaineya had his dwelling place in Ādumā and was spending the day on the bank of Mandākinī Lotus Pond.

The Blessed One asked himself, “Where should I preach the Dharma to the Four Protectors of the World in order to convert the ṛṣi Kaineya with little effort?” Then the Blessed One understood, “If I preach the Dharma on the bank of Mandākinī Lotus Pond, there he will be converted.”

Thereupon the Blessed One entertained mundane thoughts. It naturally occurs that when the buddhas, the blessed ones, entertain mundane thoughts, Śakra, Brahmā, and other gods understand the Blessed One’s thoughts. Great King Vaiśravaṇa asked himself, [F.35.b] “For the sake of what did the Blessed One entertain mundane thoughts?” He then realized, “He wishes to preach the Dharma to us, the Four Protectors of the World.” Having realized this, he ordered Pāñcika,1128 the great general of the yakṣas, “Pāñcika, go and prepare a seat for the Blessed One on the bank of Mandākinī Lotus Pond. Install a guard for the ṛṣi Kaineya so that no one will spoil his luster when there is a large assemblage.”

Having installed a guard for the ṛṣi Kaineya on the bank of Mandākinī Lotus Pond, he was preparing a seat for the Blessed One when the sound of many people arose. Because of the noise, the ṛṣi Kaineya stood up and asked the guard, “What is this noise?”

“They are preparing a seat,” he answered.

“Is that for me?”

“It is not for you, but for the Buddha, the Blessed One.”

“Why are you here?”

“To guard none but you.”

“Why?”

“Because there will be a large assemblage.”1129

The ṛṣi asked, “Who will guard that śramaṇa Gautama?”

“Who could guard that Blessed One?” answered the guard. “The Blessed One himself is the guard of the world including gods.”

When he heard this, the ṛṣi Kaineya remained silent.

The Blessed One then dressed in the morning, took his bowl and his robe, and entered Ādumā for alms. After having begged for food, he had his meal. Afterward he returned, settled his mind, and entered a state of meditation by which he disappeared from Ādumā with the community of monks and appeared on the bank of Mandākinī Lotus Pond. The Blessed One then sat on the seat prepared for him in front of the community of monks.

Then Great King Dhṛtarāṣṭra with many attendants‍—hundreds, thousands, hundreds of thousands of them, all of whom were gandharvas‍—went to the Blessed One, with the front part of his garment filled with divine jewels. [F.36.a] When he arrived, he scattered the divine jewels for the Blessed One, bowed low until his forehead touched the Blessed One’s feet, then sat to the east, attending the Blessed One and the community of monks.

Great King Virūḍhaka, too, with many hundreds and thousands‍—hundreds of thousands‍—of attendants, all of whom were kumbhāṇḍas, went to the Blessed One, with the front part of his garment filled with divine pearls. When he arrived, he scattered the divine pearls for the Blessed One, bowed low until his forehead touched the Blessed One’s feet, then sat to the south, attending the Blessed One and the community of monks.

Great King Virūpākṣa, too, with many hundreds and thousands‍—hundreds of thousands‍—of attendants, all of whom were nāgas, went to the Blessed One, with the front part of his garment filled with divine utpala, padma, kumuda, puṇḍarīka, and māndāraka flowers. When he arrived, he scattered the divine utpala, padma, kumuda, puṇḍarīka, and māndāraka flowers for the Blessed One, bowed low until his forehead touched the Blessed One’s feet, then sat to the west, attending the Blessed One and the community of monks.

Great King Vaiśravaṇa, too, with many hundreds and thousands‍—hundreds of thousands‍—of attendants, all of whom were yakṣas, went to the Blessed One, with the front part of his garment filled with pieces of divine gold. When he arrived, he scattered the pieces of divine gold for the Blessed One, bowed low until his forehead touched the Blessed One’s feet, then sat to the north, attending the Blessed One and the community of monks. [F.36.b]

Among those four, those who had their origin in the midlands1130 were two: Dhṛtarāṣṭra and Virūḍhaka; those who had their origin in the borderlands1131 were two: Virūpākṣa and Vaiśravaṇa. Thereupon the Blessed One thought, “If I preach the Dharma in the language of the midlands,1132 only two of them will understand, while the other two will not. If I preach the Dharma in the language of the borderlands,1133 only two of them will understand, while the other two will not. I will now preach the Dharma to two in the language of the midlands and to the other two in the languages of the borderlands.”1134 He said to Great King Dhṛtarāṣṭra, “Great King, thus the body is destroyed, feelings have become cool, perceptions have ceased, formations have been pacified, and consciousness has disappeared‍—this is the end of suffering.”1135

While this teaching device of the Dharma was being preached, the Dharma eye, which is free from dust and stain and with which he could observe every phenomenon, was generated in Great King Dhṛtarāṣṭra, as well as the hundreds of thousands of gandharvas belonging to the same tribe as he.

Thereupon the Blessed One said to Great King Virūḍhaka, “Great King, here, what you see, hear, think, and understand should be only seeing, hearing, thinking, and understanding.”1136

While this teaching device of the Dharma was being preached, the Dharma eye, which is free from dust and stain and with which he could observe every phenomenon, was generated in Great King Virūḍhaka, as well as the hundreds of thousands of kumbhāṇḍas belonging to the same tribe as he.

Thereupon the Blessed One said to Great King Virūpākṣa, “Therefore, Great King, ine mene dapphe daḍapphe.1137 This is the end of suffering.”1138

While this teaching device of the Dharma was being preached, the Dharma eye, which is free from dust and stain and with which he could observe every phenomenon, was generated in Great King Virūpākṣa, as well as the hundreds of thousands of nāgas1139 belonging to the same tribe as he. [F.37.a]

Thereupon the Blessed One said to Great King Vaiśravaṇa,1140 “Therefore, Great King, māśā tuṣā saṃśāmā sarvatra virāḍi.1141 This is the end of suffering.”1142

While this teaching device of the Dharma was being preached, the Dharma eye, which is free from dust and stain and with which he could observe every phenomenon, was generated in Great King Vaiśravaṇa, as well as the hundreds of thousands of yakṣas belonging to the same tribe as he.

Then the Blessed One thought, “Now I am gradually approaching the time to be completely emancipated. To whom should I entrust my teachings before being completely emancipated? If I entrust them to gods, they will not last long, for gods are careless and enjoy much pleasure.1143 But if I entrust them to humans, they will not last long, either, for humans have shorter lives. I will now entrust them to these gods, humans, and the monk Kāśyapa before being completely emancipated.” Having thus thought, he said to Great King Dhṛtarāṣṭra, “Great King, you should protect my teachings in the east after I am completely emancipated.”

He said to Great King Virūḍhaka, “Great King, you also should protect them in the south.”

He said to Great King Virūpākṣa, “Great King, you also should protect them in the west.”

He said to Great King Vaiśravaṇa, “Great King, you also should protect them in the north.”

Then the Four Great Kings, their minds pleased, said to the Blessed One, “May everything be as the Blessed One has said! O Blessed One, we will protect them.”

Having thus spoken and seen the truths before the Blessed One, they bowed low until their foreheads touched the Blessed One’s feet, and then departed from the Blessed One’s presence. The Blessed One entrusted all his teachings to the venerable Mahākāśyapa and [F.37.b] said to the venerable Ānanda, “Ānanda, you also should exert yourself in carrying out your duties in accordance with the teachings.”

The monks, feeling doubtful, inquired of the Buddha, the Blessed One, the one who severs all doubts, “O Honored One, what karma did the Four Great Kings create that matured to cause them to become the Four Great Kings and see the truths in the presence of the Blessed One?”

“Monks,” replied the Blessed One, “the actions were performed and accumulated by these ones themselves in other lives, accruing a heap of karma, whose conditions have ripened . . . .

“Monks, at a certain point in this fortunate eon, when people’s lifespans were twenty thousand years long, there appeared in the world a teacher named Kāśyapa, who was … a teacher of gods and humans, a buddha, and a blessed one. At that time, there lived in the great ocean two nāgas named Śvāsa and Mahāśvāsa. There were two garuḍas named Aṭṭeśvara and Cūḍeśvara on a kūṭaśālmalī tree. Whenever these two attacked Śvāsa and Mahāśvāsa, the two nāgas escaped underground. Later, after Śvāsa and Mahāśvāsa had sought refuge in the Perfectly Awakened One Kāśyapa and accepted the rules of training, the garuḍas again began to attack these two, but they were obstructed and repulsed, just as wind and water are obstructed and repulsed by Mount Sumeru. The two garuḍas then inquired of them, ‘Sirs, when we attacked you before, you used to escape underground. Why, when we meet you now, are we obstructed and repulsed, just as wind and water are obstructed and repulsed by Mount Sumeru? What is the cause of this?’

“Śvāsa and Mahāśvāsa [F.38.a] answered, ‘We sought refuge in the Perfectly Awakened One Kāśyapa and accepted the rules of training.’

“ ‘If that is the case, we will do so, too,’ said the two garuḍas.

“The two garuḍas then went to the Perfectly Awakened One Kāśyapa with the two nāgas. When they arrived, they saw the Four Protectors of the World depart after they had heard the Dharma in the presence of the Perfectly Awakened One Kāśyapa. The two garuḍas asked the two nāgas, Śvāsa and Mahāśvāsa, ‘Who are those ones departing?’

“The two nāgas explained about this in detail, and the two garuḍas replied, ‘If that is the case, we will also seek refuge in the Perfectly Awakened One Kāśyapa, accept the rules of training, and make aspirations.’ The two garuḍas then did seek refuge in the Perfectly Awakened One Kāśyapa and accept the rules of training. Śvāsa and Mahāśvāsa had already accepted them before. Then they together threw themselves at the feet of the Perfectly Awakened One Kāśyapa and made these aspirations: ‘Just as these Four Protectors of the World, after having heard the Dharma in the presence of the Perfectly Awakened One Kāśyapa, saw the truths and departed for their residences, may we also, by this root of merit, become the Four Protectors of the World! May that Blessed One, whom a young brahmin called Uttara was predicted to become1145 by the Perfectly Awakened One Kāśyapa‍—“Young brahmin, you will become a tathāgata, an arhat, a perfectly awakened one called Śākyamuni when people’s lifespans are a hundred years long”‍—preach the Dharma for us on the bank of Mandākinī Lotus Pond! May we, too, after having heard the Dharma, see the truths and depart for our residences just as they did!’ [F.38.b]

“What do you think, monks? The ones who were those four‍—the nāgas and garuḍas‍—are indeed these Four Protectors of the World. That one who was Śvāsa at that time, on that occasion, is indeed this Dhṛtarāṣṭra. That one who was Mahāśvāsa is indeed this Virūḍhaka. That one who was Aṭṭeśvara is indeed this Virūpākṣa. That one who was Cūḍeśvara is indeed this Vaiśravaṇa. Because of the maturation of that karma, namely, their seeking refuge in the Perfectly Awakened One Kāśyapa, accepting the rules of training, and making aspirations at that time, on that occasion, they became the Four Protectors of the World, saw the truths in my presence, and departed for their residences.”

Having heard that Dharma preached, the ṛṣi Kaineya felt greatly pleased and was filled with faith in the Blessed One. The Blessed One knew his thinking, proclivity, disposition, and nature and preached the Dharma, through which the ṛṣi Kaineya penetrated the four truths of the noble ones and actualized the fruit of a never-returner.

Thereupon, having acquired faith founded in knowledge, he went to the Blessed One, bringing eight kinds of drinks: namely, coconut drink, banana drink, kola drink, aśvattha drink, udumbara drink, paruṣaka drink, kharjūra drink, and grape drink.1146 When he arrived, he said to the Blessed One, “O Honored One, since these eight kinds of drinks are praised and extolled by ancient ṛṣis, may the Blessed One have compassion and accept them.”

The Blessed One did have compassion for the ṛṣi Kaineya and accepted the eight kinds of drinks. Having accepted them, he said to the monks, [F.39.a] “Monks, if these eight kinds of drinks have been accepted at the appropriate time (i.e., in the morning), squeezed at the appropriate time, and strained at the appropriate time, and if their formal possession has been taken at the appropriate time, they may be consumed at either the appropriate time or an inappropriate time (i.e., after noon), but they should not be consumed after the first watch of the night has passed.

“If these eight kinds of drinks have been accepted at the appropriate time, but squeezed at an inappropriate time, and strained at an inappropriate time, and if their formal possession has been taken at an inappropriate time, they should not be consumed.

“If these eight kinds of drinks have been accepted at the appropriate time, squeezed at the appropriate time, but strained at an inappropriate time, and if their formal possession has been taken at an inappropriate time, they should not be consumed.

“If these eight kinds of drinks have been accepted at an inappropriate time, squeezed at an inappropriate time, and strained at an inappropriate time, they should neither be consumed after a meal nor after the first half of the night has passed.”1147

Thereupon the ṛṣi Kaineya rose from his seat, draped his upper robe over one shoulder, made the gesture of supplication to the Blessed One, and said to him, “May the Blessed One together with the community of monks assent to my offer of a meal tomorrow.”

The Blessed One assented to the ṛṣi Kaineya by remaining silent. Then the ṛṣi Kaineya, knowing that the Blessed One had assented by remaining silent, rose from his seat and departed. The Blessed One also disappeared from the bank of Mandākinī Lotus Pond and went to Ādumā with the community of monks.

The ṛṣi Kaineya rose before dawn and said to his family, “Noble ones, get up! Sirs, get up! Cut firewood! Light a fire! Distribute khādyaka!1148 Clean the dining halls!”

At that time, a ṛṣi named Śaila, who was a nephew of the ṛṣi Kaineya, was staying in that very house. When the ṛṣi Śaila heard the ṛṣi Kaineya rise before dawn [F.39.b] and speak to his family, he asked the ṛṣi Kaineya, “O ṛṣi, have you invited your fellow ṛṣis? Have you invited King Śreṇya Bimbisāra of Magadha or people dwelling around the palace? Or is there any accomplishment of ṛṣis’ dharma that is desired?”

“Śaila,” he replied, “I have not invited my fellow ṛṣis. I have not invited King Śreṇya Bimbisāra of Magadha or people dwelling around the palace. This is not any accomplishment of ṛṣis’ dharma that is desired, either. But I have invited the community of monks headed by the Buddha for a meal.”

When Śaila heard the sound buddha, a sound he had never heard before, the hair on his entire body stood on end.1149 He asked respectfully, “O ṛṣi, who is the Buddha?”

“Śaila, there is a son of the Śākyans called śramaṇa Gautama, one who went forth from the Śākyan family into homelessness in true faith, having shaved off his hair and beard and donned saffron robes. He was awakened to complete and supreme awakening. Śaila, he is the Buddha.”

“O ṛṣi,” asked Śaila, “what is the community?”

“Śaila,” the ṛṣi Kaineya replied, “among the sons of kṣatriya families, there are those who went forth from their home into homelessness in true faith, having shaved off their hair and beards and donned saffron robes. Among the sons of brahmin families, vaiśya families, and śūdra families, too, there are those who went forth … following the Blessed One, the Tathāgata, the Arhat, the Perfectly Awakened One, who had gone forth. Śaila, these are the community. Śaila, I have invited this community and the Buddha that I already mentioned, [F.40.a] namely, ‘the community of monks headed by the Buddha,’ for a meal.”

Thereupon, being mindful of the Buddha, the ṛṣi Śaila rose early in the morning and went to the Blessed One with his five hundred attendants. When he arrived, he bowed low until his forehead touched the Blessed One’s feet, and then he sat down to one side. Having sat down to one side, the ṛṣi Śaila said to the Blessed One, “O Honored One, I wish to go forth and be ordained a monk in the well-taught Dharma and Vinaya. I will lead the pure life in the presence of the Blessed One.” The ṛṣi Śaila and his five hundred attendants then attained monkhood, which belongs to those who have gone forth and have been ordained in the well-taught Dharma and Vinaya. [B59]

Thereupon the ṛṣi Kaineya prepared a pure and fine meal during the night … served and satisfied them . . . . When he served the community of monks headed by the Buddha with a meal, he saw Śaila, who had gone forth. He asked him, “Śaila, did you go forth?”

“Yes, I did.”

“Well done! Well done, indeed! I will go forth, too, after I have finished serving the meal to the community of monks headed by the Buddha.”

Then the ṛṣi Kaineya, with his own hands and in a variety of ways, served and satisfied the community of monks headed by the Buddha with a pure and fine meal. Knowing the Blessed One had finished his meal and washed his hands and his bowl, he took a low seat and sat before the Blessed One in order to hear the Dharma. Then the Blessed One assigned the rewards of the offerings to him, gave a sermon, and departed.

Thereupon the ṛṣi Kaineya, having thrown off everything unnecessary, [F.40.b] went to the Blessed One with his five hundred attendants. When he arrived, he bowed low until his forehead touched the Blessed One’s feet, and then he sat down to one side. Having sat down to one side, the ṛṣi Kaineya said to the Blessed One, “O Honored One, I wish to go forth and be ordained a monk in the well-taught Dharma and Vinaya. I will lead the pure life in the presence of the Blessed One.” The ṛṣi Kaineya with his five hundred attendants then attained monkhood, which belongs to those who have gone forth and have been ordained in the well-taught Dharma and Vinaya.1150

Thereupon the Blessed One undertook the rainy-season retreat in the Parasol mango grove on the bank of the river Prabhadrikā with those thousand monks who had newly gone forth and had been ordained.

There, the Blessed One entrusted five hundred monks to the venerable Brāhmaṇa­kapphiṇa, two hundred and fifty to the venerable Mahā­maudgalyāyana, and two hundred and fifty to the venerable Śāriputra. Those who were instructed by the venerable Brāhmaṇa­kapphiṇa abandoned all the defilements and actualized the state of an arhat, those by the venerable Mahā­maudgalyāyana the fruit of once-returners,1151 and those by the venerable Śāriputra the fruit of stream-entry.

The monks, feeling doubtful, inquired of the Buddha, the Blessed One, the one who severs all doubts, “How is it, O Honored One, that, although the Blessed One has praised the venerable Śāriputra as the best of those who have great wisdom, and the venerable Mahā­maudgalyāyana as the best of those who have great power and great magical power, those who were instructed by the venerable Brāhmaṇa­kapphiṇa actualized the state of an arhat, those by the venerable Mahā­maudgalyāyana the fruit of once-returners,1152 and those by the venerable Śāriputra [F.41.a] the fruit of stream-entry?”

“Listen, monks,” the Blessed One replied, “how, not only in the present but also in the past, those who were instructed by Brāhmaṇa­kapphiṇa were established in the formless realm, those by Maudgalyāyana in the form realm, and those by Śāriputra in the five kinds of supernormal knowledge.

“Monks, there once lived two ṛṣis in the wilderness, each of whom had five hundred attendants. One day, one of those two died. His young brahmins, tormented by pain and despair over parting from their teacher, wandered here and there and came to the other ṛṣi. When he saw them with their eyes full of tears, he asked them, ‘Young brahmins, where did your teacher go?’

“ ‘He died.’

“He thought, ‘After my death, my young brahmins will be in the same situation as these ones. I will now accept them.’ He then encouraged them and accepted them.

“Later, one day, this ṛṣi also became sick. He had three best pupils, and he entrusted five hundred young brahmins to the first one, two hundred and fifty to the second one, and another two hundred and fifty to the third one. Then, he passed away.

“At that point, the one who was entrusted with five hundred instructed them so that they were established in the formless realm; the second who was entrusted with two hundred and fifty instructed them so that they were established in the form realm; and the third who was assigned two hundred and fifty instructed them so that they were established in the five supernormal powers.

“What do you think, monks? That ṛṣi who established five hundred young brahmins in the formless realm at that time, on that occasion, [F.41.b] was indeed this monk Kapphiṇa. The one who established two hundred and fifty in the form realm was indeed this monk Maudgalyāyana. The other one who established two hundred and fifty in the five kinds of supernormal knowledge was indeed this monk Śāriputra.

“However, monks, those who were instructed by Kapphiṇa are of keen faculties, those by Maudgalyāyana are of mediocre faculties, and those by Śāriputra are of dull faculties. If they had not been instructed by Śāriputra, they would not even have attained the stage of warmth.”