THE GREAT CHRONICLE OF BUDDHAS
1102
‚At some future date, a prince named PiyadÈsa will be enthroned as a righteous
king by the name of Asoka. That King Asoka will spread these relics throughout
the southern Island Continent, JambÈdÊpa.‛
He was exhilarated and cried out: ‚Friends! the Venerable MahÈ Kassapa had rightly
foreseen me!‛ And bending his left arm, he slapped it with his right hand thereby
producing loud clapping sounds.
King Asoka then removed much of the relics, leaving only an appropriate amount in the
depository for local worshippers. He closed all entrances to the depository carefully as
previously done, and restored the whole edifice to its original condition. He rebuilt a new
stone stupa about it. Then he enshrined the relics inside the eight-four thousand
monasteries that he donated.
Conclusion of The Chapters on The Buddha
Dear readers, we have come to the end of the Chapter on the Buddha. You may have
noticed, in going through this chapter, the seven (auspicious) days connected with the
Buddha, namely: (1) the day of His conception, (2) the day of His birth, (3) the day He
renounced the world, (4) the day He attained Perfect Enlightenment, (5) the day He
delivered the first sermon, the Dhammacakka-pavattana Sutta, (6) the day He passed away,
and (7) the day His body was consumed by the Element of heat. These seven dates may be
noted thus:
(1) The Buddha-to-be was conceived on Thursday, the full-moon of Wazo (
ŒsÈÄhÈ
) in
the 67
th
year of the Great Era.
(2) He was born on 7
th
Friday, the full-moon of Kason (
VesÈkha
) in the 68
th
year of the
Great Era.
(3) He renounced the world on Monday, on the full-moon of Wazo (
ŒsÈÄhÈ
) in the 97
th
year of the Great Era.
(4) He attained Perfect Enlightenment on Wednesday, the full-moon of Kason (
VesÈkha
)
in the 103
rd
year of the Great Era.
(5) He delivered his first sermon on Saturday, the full-moon of Wazo (
ŒsÈÄhÈ
) in the
103
rd
year of the Great Era.
(6) He passed away on Tuesday, the full-moon of Kason (
VesÈkha
) in the 148
th
year of
the Great Era.
(7) His body was consumed by the Element of heat on Sunday, the twelfth waning day
of Kason (
VesÈkha
) in the same year.
Ledi Sayadaw’s Stanzas venerating The Seven Memorable Days in The Life of The Buddha
The Late Ledi Sayadaw composed the following rhymes on the above seven days for
remembering and honouring the Buddha by the devotees:
1. Being implored in union by the devas and BrahmÈs
Of the ten thousand universes,
Lord of the three worlds, object of my adoration,
Descended (from TusitÈ Deva realm)
Into his royal mother's womb
On Thursday, the full moon of
ŒsÈÄhÈ
An occasion promising the peace for devas and humans.
2. Ten months after conception,
On Friday, the full moon of
VesÈkha
,
In the sixty-eight year of the Great Era,
The Lord was born in the cool shade of LumbinÊ Park
When the great earth quaked
To honour the ominous event