Chapter IX
brahmin attendants. His son was Vijitasena.
The vehicle in which He renounced the world was a mansion. He practised
dukkaracariyÈ
for seven days.
His two male Chief Disciples were Tissa Thera and BhÈradvÈja Thera. His
attendant was Sabbamitta Thera.
His two female Chief Disciples were AnulÈ TherÊ and UruvelÈ TherÊ.
His Bodhi tree was a
Nigrodha
.
His noble male supporters were Sumangala and GhaÔÊkÈra the potter. His female
supporters were VijitasenÈ UpÈsikÈ and BhaddÈ UpÈsikÈ.
Buddha Kassapa's height was twenty cubits. He was glorious like forceful lightning
and the full moon surrounded by planets and stars.
The life span during His time was twenty thousand years. He lived for four-fifths
of this life span rescuing numerous beings from
saÑsÈric
waters and placed them
on the shores of NibbÈna.
Buddha Kassapa created the big pond of Pariyatti Dhamma for beings, such as
devas, humans and BrahmÈs, and gave the ‘unguent of Catu Parisuddhi SÊla’ for
them to beautify their minds, made them put on the garments of
hirÊ
and
ottappa
,
distributed among them the flowers of thirty-seven Bodhi-pakkhiyÈ DhammÈ, and
placed the spotless mirror of
sotÈpatti-magga ÒÈÓa
so that they could see clearly
for themselves, distinguishing between faulty things and faultless things, between
acts of merit and acts of unwholesomeness. He placed the mirror as though He
were inviting those who were wandering in search of NibbÈna near the aforesaid
pond, ‚Behold (yourselves in) all kinds of adornment.‛
By providing those who listened to His admonishment with the clothing of the Five
Precepts, Ten Precepts and the four Catuparisuddhi SÊla so that they could fight
against their enemy of defilement. By making them fasten their coats of mail of
the four mundane and five supramundane
jhÈnas
; by making them wear the leather
robe of
sati
and
sampajaÒÒa
; by supplying them with the full military equipment
of sublime energy of four levels; by giving them the shield of four
satipaÔÔhÈnas
so that they could defend themselves from various enemy defilements. (By making
His army of Disciples) wield the lances of very sharp
vipassanÈ-ÒÈÓa
and gave
them the sword of
magga-paÒÒÈ,
the swords that had been sharpened on the whet
stone of
vÊriya
and by handing to them the supramundane precepts so that they
could eradicate their inclinations to associate with defilements. By giving them
various dressing articles of Three
VijjÈs
and Six
AbhiÒÒÈnas,
having fashioned the
crowning flower of supramundane Fruitions so that they could adorn and beautify
themselves with. And, by making a big cluster of the flowers of nine
supramundane Dhammas and together with it, He gave them the white umbrella of
arahatta-phala
so that they could protect themselves against the sun of demerits.
By so doing, Buddha Kassapa created the great bloom of the Eightfold
Magga
,
leading happily to the haven of NibbÈna. That Buddha Kassapa and His numerous
arahat-d
isciples attained ParinibbÈna and came to the end of His final existence.
SaÑvega
That Buddha Kassapa, the embodiment of unmeasured qualities, whom others could
hardly approach; the gem of Dhamma taught by Him, was in a position to extend its bold
invitation saying: ‚Come, have a look and try it as a practice.‛; the gem of Sangha, the
Order of Disciples who were most excellent and had practised that Gem of Dhamma well,
all these had vanished. Unsubstantial and futile indeed are all conditioned things!
CetÊya
In this way, Buddha Kassapa, Conqueror of the five Maras, Teacher of devas and
humans, attained ParinibbÈna in a great park called Setavya, near Setavya City, in the