8: The Buddha’s Stay at the Seven Places – 408
fulfilled by him throughout the period of four immeasurable periods and
100,000 aeons. That spot is known as the Unblinking Shrine (
Animisa-cetiya
).
3. The Week on the Walkway
In the third week, the Buddha spent seven days walking up and down on the
jewel walkway created by Devas and Brahmas and stretching from east to west
between the unconquered throne and the Unblinking Shrine, while at the same
time he was reflecting on the Dhamma and was absorbed in fruition attainment
(
phala-samāpatti
). That place is called the Jewelled Walkway (
Ratana-caṅkama-
cetiya
).
4. The Week at the Treasure House
In the fourth week, the Buddha reflected on the supreme doctrine of the
Abhidhamma while sitting cross-legged in the Treasure House (
Ratana-ghara
),
created by Devas and Brahmas, at the north-west corner of the Mahā Bodhi tree.
According to the sub-commentary on the Ornaments of the Victor (
Jinālaṅkāra
),
when the Buddha sat cross-legged in the Treasure House and reflected on the
Dhamma, as well as surveying the beings worthy of teaching, he discerned
perfectly the course of practice composed of morality, concentration and
wisdom (
sīla-samādhi-paññā
). He saw that humans, Devas and Brahmas would
attain the noble state of the paths, fruitions and Nibbāna by establishing
themselves in morality (
sīla
), by concentrating their minds (
samādhi
) and by
putting efforts in their attempts at wisdom (
paññā
). Therefore the Buddha
reflected first on the Basket of Discipline (
Vinaya-piṭaka
) which teaches
morality, then on the Basket of Doctrine (
Sutta-piṭaka
) which teaches
concentration and lastly on the Basket of the Abstract Teaching (
Abhidhamma-
piṭaka
) which teaches wisdom.
When he reflected on the Basket of the Abstract Teaching
,
he tackled first the
six lower treaties of the Enumeration of Phenonema (
Dhamma-saṅgaṇī
), the
Analyses (
Vibhaṅga
), the Discussion about Elements (
Dhātu-kathā
), the
Designation of Persons (
Puggala-paññatti
), the Debates (
Kathā-vatthu
) and the
Pairs (
Yamaka
), but there occurred no radiance at that time because his
omniscience was comparatively vast and the doctrinal methods in those treatises
are comparatively limited. But when he contemplated the seventh treatise of the
all-embracing Causal Relations (
Paṭṭhāna
) with an unlimited number of