The Life Stories of the Monks – 2018
never caused any monastics any inconvenience, and that at his death also he did
not wish any monastic to bear the burden of his dead body, he wished that his
body be consumed by fire. He sat in the midst of the gathering of monastics,
entering into the absorption (
jhāna
) on the element of heat and passed away. As
soon as he passed away his body was consumed by a flame which arose from the
body and there was
[1336]
just a small collection of relics resembling Jasmine
buds.
This way of passing away in the midst of a gathering of monastics is also a
marvellous thing concerning Ven. Bākula.
34. Ven. Sobhita
Aspiration in the Past
The future Ven. Sobhita was born into a worthy family, in the city of Haṁsavatī,
during the time of Buddha Padumuttara. While listening to a discourse by the
Buddha, he saw a monastic being designated as the foremost among the male
monastic disciples who could remember their past lives. He aspired to that
honour in some future existence. After making extraordinary offerings to the
Buddha, he expressed this wish. The Buddha predicted that his wish would be
fulfilled.
Ascetic Life in His Final Existence
The future Sobhita spent his life in doing deeds of merit and passed away into
good destinations only. During the time of Buddha Gotama, he was reborn in the
Brahmin caste in Sāvatthī. He was named Sobhita.
Young Sobhita had occasions to listen to the Buddha’s discourses. His devotion
grew to such an extent that he became a monastic and engaged in the noble
practice well and eventually became an Arahat. He was especially endowed with
a keen power of remembering past existences (
pubbe-nivāsa-ñāṇa
).
Foremost Title Achieved
Five hundred aeons ago, from the present aeon, the future Sobhita, under the
teaching of other faiths, had practised absorption (
jhāna
) on the form sphere
which is devoid of consciousness. While dwelling in the fourth absorption of
that description, he passed away without relapsing from absorption and was